Zelenskyy sacks Ukraine’s ambassadors to Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway, India

Europe, News July 11, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on July 9 that he has dismissed its ambassadors from Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway, and India.

In an official statement released by President Zelenskyy, it was announced that the dismissal of the senior officials is a rotation which “is a normal part of diplomatic practice.”

Zelenskyy further stated that “new representatives of Ukraine to the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Norway, and other countries will be appointed. Nominations are being prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Kyiv is on course to boost its diplomatic relations all over the world as the country fights the Russian invasion. President Zelenskyy is keeping a special focus on his diplomatic relations with Europe in the wake of his country’s application to join the European Union.

Kyiv’s relations with Germany and many other European countries are particularly sensitive due to Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies. Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s 46-year-old ambassador to Germany, is also among the sacked ambassadors. Melnyk was appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany in 2014 by Zelenskyy’s predecessor Petro Poroshenko. He holds a reputation for being outspoken on social media where he engages in debates with politicians and intellectuals who oppose the arming of Ukraine to fight Russia.

*^{Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk was fired by President Zelenskyy on July 9, 2022. (Image Credit: Twitter/@TpyxaNews)}*

Melnyk also openly criticized the German leadership for not doing enough and being reluctant to provide Ukraine with weapons. He once accused German chancellor Olaf Scholz of behaving like an ‘offended liver sausage’, when Olaf did not immediately accept Zelenskyy’s invitation to visit Kyiv.

While announcing the dismissal of his diplomatic officials, Zelenskyy stated that he would be delivering more important news from his government officials next week. “I am already preparing for the new week, there will be important news, particularly from government officials,” he said.

Zelenskyy also thanked the U.S. government for providing additional long-range high precision weapons to Ukraine and said that “additional HIMARS systems and other high-precision weapons enable us to take anti-terrorism measures and to reduce Russian missile strikes on our people.”

On July 8, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an additional defense package for Ukraine, worth $400 million. The new defense package includes four additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and its ammunition. The four additional HIMARS systems would bring the total number of these systems to 12. The new U.S. defense aid to Ukraine is meant to bolster the country’s defense capabilities against Russian artillery attacks.