Ukraine appoints ex-army chief as UK ambassador

Ukraine's former commander of the armed forces has been appointed as the country's ambassador to the UK.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi was sacked by President Volodymyr Zelensky last month in what was the biggest shake-up to Ukraine's military leadership since Russia's full-scale invasion.

The Ukrainian general had led the war effort since 2022.

He had been seen as a potential political rival to Mr Zelensky, and was popular among soldiers.

On Thursday Ukraine's foreign ministry announced that the president had approved the former commander-in-chief's move to become the next Ukrainian ambassador to the UK.

The foreign ministry added that a request had been sent to the UK to finalise Gen Zaluzhnyi's appointment.

President Zelensky had said at the time of his sacking that leadership within the Ukrainian military ranks needed to be "renewed", but added that the well-liked general could "remain on the team".

Replacing him in the post last month was battle-hardened Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, who Mr Zelensky described at the time of his appointment as having both offensive and defensive experience.

The decision to remove Gen Zaluzhnyi arrived at a time when the professional soldier was experiencing higher approval ratings than Mr Zelensky himself, spurring speculation that a rift had evolved between the two men.

Ukraine has not had an ambassador to the UK since Mr Zelensky dismissed former envoy Vadym Prystaiko in July 2023 after he publicly criticised the president.