Vadim Prystaiko: The Ukrainian president's last name doesn't matter; Russians harbor hatred for all of us.

On the tasks of Valery Zaluzhny as Ukraine's ambassador to the UK and the only meeting between Vladimir Zelensky and Putin - insights from an interview with RBK-Ukraine by former Ukrainian Foreign Minister and former ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystayko.

Key points from the interview:

• On the support of Ukraine by the UK government
• On Zaluzhny's work as ambassador in the UK
• On the relationship between Trump and Zelensky
• On the first and only meeting between Zelensky and Putin

Vadym Prystayko served as the foreign minister in Oleksiy Honcharuk's government, was present during the first meeting between Vladimir Zelensky and Donald Trump, and also at the only meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

In an interview with RBK-Ukraine, Prystayko discussed whether Trump holds a grudge against Ukraine for nearly being impeached after his phone call with Zelensky in 2019, what Putin aimed to achieve from Zelensky, and what should form the basis of our future agreements with Russia. He also elaborated on the main tasks facing Valery Zaluzhny in the UK and why it is significantly more challenging for the former commander-in-chief to work as an ambassador than it was for Prystayko himself.

Watch the full interview on the RBK-Ukraine YouTube channel; below in the text are the main points from the conversation.

On the support of Ukraine by the UK government

Vadym Prystayko held the position of Ukraine's ambassador to the UK from 2020 to 2023. He recalls that throughout the year leading up to the full-scale invasion, the British emphasized that a major war was imminent. Official London openly spoke of the threat posed by the Russian Federation - unlike, for example, France and Germany, which were engaged in the negotiation processes in the Minsk and Normandy formats.

"I was asked every time: 'Don't you realize that war is about to happen? We watch what your leadership says, your television, your newspapers, and we feel that you simply do not understand the danger looming over you.' They understood that Ukraine had to maintain a brave face despite the dire situation and claim that, well, we can't just say that war will break out tomorrow, otherwise there will be no investments. To which my British colleagues responded that investments come not because someone watches Ukrainian television. Investments come from the West, and they primarily watch Western media, which has been stating for a year that war is inevitable. And that is precisely why there will be no investments, regardless of what your leadership says. Either it wants to play positively, or it is busy building trenches."

After the full-scale Russian invasion began, the British continued to insist on the necessity of military assistance to Ukraine.

"Even if they planned to interact with some next pro-Russian government, believe me, they would quietly plan this in some dark rooms. But openly, they spoke the opposite. There was unity among society, the government, and ultimately even the monarchy, which has not interfered in secular political matters for centuries. And there was one signal: Ukraine must win, Russia must lose. Just that simple. There were discussions about the fall of Kyiv, about the possibility of Kyiv falling, and so on. I remember a meeting with MPs and lords; their eyes reflected: good people, probably not long for this world."

Two weeks before the full-scale invasion, Vadym Prystayko flew to Kyiv with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"One of the outcomes was the delivery of weapons, which arrived literally a few days (before the full-scale invasion, – ed.). Planes landed in Boryspil. If they hadn't arrived, it's hard to imagine how we could have withstood the first days when these columns of tanks were just moving towards Kyiv."

This was the first visit of a British Prime Minister to Ukraine since 1996.

"It can be honestly acknowledged where Ukraine stood on the list of UK priorities. With Boris Johnson's arrival, radical changes occurred, particularly because he had been Foreign Secretary before and had been to Kyiv a couple of times. He already knew Kyiv, understood why Ukraine was important, and when he became Prime Minister, our issues were set against a prepared backdrop. They (the British, – ed.) had long doubted us; they did not see the prospects for building this project, which in their eyes looked like this: a post-Soviet, Slavic, Orthodox state, post-communist, aspiring to become democratic, a member of NATO and the EU, which was viewed with certain caution. They saw how thorny our path had been: corruption scandals, political problems. And to convince them that we are not just worthy of attention but that we will become like everyone else, our state needed many, many years. But most importantly, it was the undeniable courage with which the Ukrainian people decided to stand up to (Russia, – ed.). This made a tremendous impression."

On Zaluzhny's work as ambassador in the UK

Vadym Prystayko worked in the UK for three years, although the typical term for an ambassador lasts five years. Then for a year, this position remained vacant until the former commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny was appointed ambassador in London.

"How does this normally happen? When an ambassador's term ends, the documents for a new ambassador are prepared in advance to minimize the period without a high representative who could meet with ministers and MPs. Unfortunately, between me and Valery Zaluzhny, there was (a gap, – ed.) of about a year. So, for a year during the war, our state was without an ambassador in the UK. This is a very long period. For example, I replaced my colleague in London on the same day. She flew out in the morning, and I was at the airport in the evening; the embassy met me, and we started working the next day - there was so much work in London. A year of waiting – well, that's just unacceptable. According to the Constitution, the foreign minister makes proposals, and the president makes the decision. So, the ambassador is the envoy of the head of state, in our case - the president. There are many versions as to why it happened this way. It makes no sense to speculate; it was so long ago. Most often, it is linked to my interview with Sky News."

He refers to the interview Vadym Prystayko gave after the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023. At that time, UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace stated that Ukraine should express more gratitude for the assistance provided, to which Zelensky responded: "We can wake up in the morning and thank the minister personally." Commenting on Zelensky's words, Prystayko called them "unhealthy sarcasm" and expressed the opinion that Ukraine should not show Russia that there are misunderstandings between us and our partners.

"Valery Zaluzhny, as head of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission, now must do everything to ensure that Ukraine remains on the domestic political radar of the UK. The only thing that distinguishes his role from mine is that he brings a very direct and interesting experience to understand what modern warfare is, what modern warfare with Russia is. The image of a general who defended the state for three years and stood at the head of the defense – this is a very important resource that must undoubtedly be exchanged for support for Ukraine."

Valery Zaluzhny enjoys significant authority among British military officials, and their support directly influences the assistance Ukraine will receive, Prystayko says. However, on the other hand, it is now significantly more challenging for Zaluzhny than it was in the early months of the war. In 2022, many acted on emotion, and everyone wanted to help Ukraine – from ordinary British citizens to large companies (such as Rolls Royce) and the royal family.

"The head of the Royal Mail calls and says: 'How many trucks do you need to transport humanitarian aid to Ukraine? Would 30 trucks with a constant rotation to Ukraine suffice?' I say: 'Thank you, that will be enough.' There were cases when Deutsche Bahn, the German railway in London, offered to transport generators - they simply provided a train, planes were also offered. At one point, the Mayor of London reached out to me, asking for a meeting because there had grown such a number of collection points for aid to Ukraine throughout London that it began to spiral out of control. He provided a large workshop where we started gathering this aid because people were bringing everything: from medicines and cans of peas to computers and bicycles. It was such a surge of support for Ukraine that I now regret that the current generation of ambassadors, including Zaluzhny, can no longer rely on such emotional momentum."

On the relationship between Trump and Zelensky

In Oleksiy Honcharuk's government, Vadym Prystayko held the position of foreign minister. He accompanied Vladimir Zelensky during his first meeting with then US President Donald Trump in the fall of 2019.</