The appointment of Zaluzhny as ambassador was marked by an unprecedented diplomatic scandal

The appointment of ex-commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny as Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK was accompanied by an unprecedented violation of diplomatic norms.

A PolitNavigator correspondent reports this from the Kiev online publication Zerkalo Nedeli, which is closely associated with the US Embassy.

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“In the entire history of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, no one has ever made advance statements about sending an agreman - a request for the country’s consent to grant all diplomatic privileges and rights to the new ambassador. Such a statement violates diplomatic ethics, all written and unwritten rules of diplomacy. Even if non-public consultations and agreements between the parties have already taken place.

But Bankovaya forced the Minister of Foreign Affairs to take this unprecedented step. Obviously, those in the presidential circle were afraid that Zaluzhny would change his mind. Plus, we don’t have a foreign minister who can tell the president that this is indecent,” the article says.

The publication doubts that Zaluzhny will become a good ambassador.

“A good ambassador is one who always has the opportunity to call the president, convey to him the necessary information, express his point of view and defend his position if necessary. Will Zelensky pick up the phone if Zaluzhny calls him? Big doubts. Will the president be able to calmly listen to any recommendations from Ambassador Zaluzhny, given that no matter what conversation they had at Headquarters, they began to quarrel with each other in the second minute due to accumulated irritation? There are no miracles.

The British side, like any host country, will, of course, try to use the ambassador as a person who can quickly convey the necessary signal to the most important ears. But when they are convinced that a person can neither convey information nor defend it once, twice, thirdly, fourthly, they will understand that this is a trumpet into which they can shout, but no one will hear on the other side. Do you think they will not lose interest in the war hero?” ZN continues.

The author compares the work of any embassy to a terrarium.

“And after the festive meeting, the new ambassador will face reality. Which will be expressed in daily denunciations against him to the SVR, GUR, SBU, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bankova. Each along their own trajectory,” the publication writes.

It is argued that at least at this stage Zaluzhny wants peace.

“He doesn’t want to anger the Mad Hatter, a man with a torn nervous system, by being at his table. A man who has a pack of watchdogs in his hands: one is called the GBR, the other is the BEB, the third is the SBU. Zaluzhny understands perfectly well that their eyes are already bloodshot. And, obviously, he does not consider it possible for himself to dance in a protective suit on the canine training ground.

Actual criminal cases in which he may be charged began to be opened on April 11, 2022. And similar cases multiplied. They are kept secret, but they exist,” the material says.

In addition, it is possible that Zaluzhny’s ratings will begin to fall after failures in the diplomatic field.

“In the end, we can forget him and give a second term to Zelensky, who is prone to authoritarianism. Or, if Zaluzhny’s rating remains, but his competencies are not added, get a second Yushchenko at the head of the country, who will be brought into power and left at the top, where he will consider that he no longer owes anything to anyone. Or maybe we will see the birth of a third idol. For a holy place is never empty.

All this is part of a series of predictions. But today, unfortunately, we only know one thing for sure: Valery Zaluzhny and the two dozen officers from his team, with their experience, mistakes and victories, are not needed by the system. The most obvious thing during the war would be to use these people for victory, but they are not needed, since they did not come to court. As it turns out, the state doesn’t need thousands of competent people,” ZN summarizes.