Vance called Zaluzhnyi after Trump–Zelenskyy showdown at White House. He refused to talk - Guardian
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Valerii Zaluzhnyi has refused to communicate with US Vice President Mike Pence, who called him after the public dispute between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump at the White House on February 28.
This was reported by The Guardian newspaper, citing unnamed sources, according to Censor.NET.
The article states that it was the US Vice President who played a key role in provoking the conflict between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in February.
As noted, Vance called Zaluzhnyi in early March, three days after the White House row, "considering alternatives to the problematic Zelenskyy."
"The team of Vance tried various diplomatic and other channels" to contact Zaluzhnyi, one of the three interlocutors said. Zaluzhnyi, after consulting with the head of the President's Office, refused to answer the call," the source said.
One source close to Zaluzhnyi said that it was a "demonstrative show of unity," as he understood that supporting Donald Trump's team against his own president was not the best option.
"Many of his supporters did not understand why he did this. But it was his principled position: Ukraine had been humiliated, and we must be united," says the publication's interlocutor.
As The Guardian notes, no elections are planned in Ukraine, as voting is impossible in a state of war: "But everyone in Ukraine knows that sooner or later politics will return."
It is noted that Zaluzhnyi has never publicly stated any political ambitions and rejects almost all requests for interviews.
However, "political pilgrims" constantly visit the Ukrainian Embassy in London to offer their services, express their support, or try to guess whether Zaluzhnyi plans to run for election.
The publication also writes that, in addition to Ukrainian MPs, civil society activists, and business representatives, former Donald Trump adviser Paul Manafort visited Zaluzhnyi to offer his services as a political consultant in "any future election campaign." The Guardian adds that Zaluzhnyi rejected his offer.
According to the publication, another "guest" of Zaluzhnyi was the head of the Presidential Administration, Andrii Yermak.
According to a source quoted by The Guardian, at a meeting last November, Yermak offered Zaluzhnyi the opportunity to officially join the president's political team in order to "present a united front ahead of the upcoming elections." However, Zaluzhnyi declined the offer.
At the same time, according to the publication's sources, he promised Yermak that he would not criticize Zelenskyy publicly while the war was ongoing, and also assured him that he would not give the OP "any unpleasant surprises."
"If I decide that I want to go into politics, you will hear it from me first, privately," The Guardian quotes Zaluzhnyi as saying to Yermak.
