Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has approved the candidacy of former army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi as ambassador to Great Britain, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a request to the British side for an agrement,” the foreign ministry said.

Zaluzhnyi, widely seen as a national hero for overseeing Ukraine’s war effort throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, was replaced by ground forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi in February.

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Ukraine has not had an ambassador in Britain since Zelenskiy dismissed former envoy Vadym Prystaiko in July 2023 after he publicly criticised the president.

On Thursday British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps visited Kyiv, Zelenskiy said on social media platform X.

“Our primary focus was on bolstering Ukraine’s air defense and long-range capabilities, as well as meeting other urgent needs for weapons and ammunition and developing joint weapon production,” he said.

Zaluzhnyi was not seen in the images of the meeting sharedby the president.