Zelensky appoints Ex-Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi new Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.K.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discharged the 50-year-old former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi from military service and has appointed him the new Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.K.

«To discharge General Valerii Zaluzhnyi from military service due to his health condition with the right to wear military uniform… To appoint Valerii Zaluzhnyi Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom,» says the president’s edict published on the official website of the president of Ukraine.

This winter, the Ukrainian media reported that the medical commission found Zaluzhnyi’s health not good enough to continue his military service.

In March, Zelensky gave his consent to appoint Zaluzhnyi as the Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.K. The country’s MFA sent a corresponding request to their British counterparts.

Zaluzhnyi served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from February 8, 2021, to February 2024, when he was replaced with Oleksandr Syrskyi. According to some media reports, Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky haven’t been on the same page since late 2023, as they had different opinions on counter-offense and mobilization. Moreover, some Ukrainian media outlets speculated that Zaluzhnyi might have been a strong competitor to Zelensky during the presidential elections, citing his high popularity in Ukraine.

Zelensky’s five-year term expires on May 20, as presidential elections for a new president of Ukraine should’ve been conducted on March 31. However, the Ukrainian constitution implies that any president would remain in office until the inauguration of a new one. This means that the current president of the country will stay in power after the expiration of his term until the moment of the inauguration of a new leader.