Mr Zarzini, known as the “Iron General”, saw his once huge popularity slump after a failed counterattack.
Ukraine has appointed Valery Zarzhiny as its new special envoy to the UK, a month after he was removed from his position as supreme commander of the country's armed forces.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has sent a request to the British side for an agreement,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Ukraine has not had an ambassador in the UK since July 2023, when President Volodymyr Zelenskiy fired former special envoy Vadim Prystaiko, who publicly criticized the leader.
Zaruzhny has led Ukraine's military since the start of the war with Russia, pushing back a far more powerful invading force in the first months of the conflict.
Dubbed the “Iron General” by Ukrainian media, Zarzhni became a symbol of the country's resistance and enjoyed extremely high approval ratings among the population.
But last summer's much-vaunted failed counterattack and public disagreements with Zelenskiy have damaged his reputation within the presidential palace.
He was replaced in February by Oleksandr Shirsky, who led Ukraine's blitzkrieg counteroffensive in northeastern Kharkov in the fall of 2022.
Ukraine's military strategy 'must change'
Upon Zarouzhny's dismissal, Zelenskiy thanked Mr. X for the military leader's two years of service and said it was time for a change in military leadership.
Zarzhni himself acknowledged that Ukraine's military strategy “has to change” nearly two years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion.
“The challenges of 2022 are different from those of 2024, so everyone must change and adapt to new realities if we are to win together,” he wrote.
“War remains the same. War changes and demands change. We need a new approach and a new strategy,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said at the time of his dismissal.
Britain remains a key ally
On Thursday, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps visited Kiev, President Zelenskyy said on the X program.
“Our main focus was on strengthening Ukraine's air defense and long-range capabilities, as well as meeting other urgent needs for arms and ammunition and developing joint arms production,” he said.
Images of the meeting shared by Ukraine's president did not show Zarzhni.
Today we hosted the British Secretary of Defense. @grantshapps Discuss continued defense cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Our main focus was to strengthen Ukraine's air defense and long-range capabilities, as well as meet other urgent needs… pic.twitter.com/vBO253sSY3
— Volodymyr Zelensky / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 7, 2024
After the talks, the UK Ministry of Defense announced it would supply Ukraine with more than 10,000 drones to help in the fight against Russia.
The ministry will also spend a further 125 million British pounds ($160 million) on “state-of-the-art drones”, bringing the total drone package to Ukraine to 325 million pounds ($416 million). Stated.
