In early March, three days after a tense meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, the Ukrainian Embassy in London attempted to contact the Ukrainian ambassador, Valery Zaluzhny.
Vice President J.D. Vance’s team had wanted to arrange a phone call with Zaluzhny. However, according to sources in The Guardian, Zaluzhny, after consulting with Zelensky’s chief of staff, declined the call.
The episode, according to experts, illustrates the complex political balance in which Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of the armed forces and current Ukrainian ambassador to Britain, finds himself. On the one hand, he is loyal to the government he serves, but on the other, many at home and abroad see him as a potential rival to Zelensky and a future president.
Zaluzhny has never publicly announced his intentions for a political career. However, his reputation and the hero image he developed during the war years make him the most likely opponent for Zelensky when elections finally begin in Ukraine.
Despite the political pressure, Zaluzhny is cautious. He did not even return Vance’s call, so as not to appear to be working with the Trump team against Zelensky. The ambassador even posted a photo on social media in which he shakes Zelensky’s hand, emphasizing the importance of national unity.
Analysts say this behavior secures him as a loyal statesman, but at the same time disappoints those in the opposition who see him as the next leader of Ukraine.
