President Volodymyr Zelensky landed in the U.K. on July 18, where he immediately met Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief and recently appointed ambassador to the U.K.
Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi were photographed shaking hands on the tarmac soon after the president's plane landed.
Zelensky is in the U.K. to attend the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace, near Oxford.
"A separate program is scheduled for our relations with the United Kingdom. I will meet with His Majesty King Charles III, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, government officials, and executives from defense companies," Zelensky said on X.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine and the U.K. will sign "an intergovernmental agreement on support for the Ukrainian defense and industrial complex, discuss future defense cooperation, and expand our defense capabilities."
Zaluzhnyi was replaced by Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief in February.
The shake-up followed multiple stories by Ukrainian and foreign media outlets, citing anonymous sources in the government, that Zelensky was set to fire Zaluzhnyi.
The decision sparked public debate, as Zaluzhnyi is widely popular with both the military and the population due to his role in leading the resistance against Russia.
Zelensky officially dismissed Zaluzhnyi from military service on May 8 by decree, which stated that Zaluzhnyi was let go "on health grounds" and retained "the right to wear a military uniform."
Zaluzhnyi assumed the role of Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom on July 11.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
