Vadym Prystaiko

Vadym Volodymyrovych Prystaiko (Ukrainian: Вадим Володимирович Пристайко; born on February 20, 1970) is a Ukrainian diplomat, and Ukraine's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom. He was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 20 July 2020.[2][3]

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Volodymyrovych and the family name is Prystaiko.
Vadym Prystaiko
Вадим Пристайко
Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom
Assumed office
20 July 2020
Prime MinisterDenys Shmyhal
Preceded byNatalia Galibarenko
Deputy Prime Minister for European Relations
In office
4 March 2020 – 4 June 2020[1]
PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy
Prime MinisterDenys Shmyhal
Preceded byDmytro Kuleba
Succeeded byOlha Stefanishyna[1]
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
29 August 2019 – 4 March 2020
PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy
Prime MinisterOleksiy Honcharuk
Preceded byPavlo Klimkin
Succeeded byDmytro Kuleba
Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada
In office
8 November 2012 – 26 November 2014
Preceded byIhor Ostash
Succeeded byAndriy Shevchenko
Ambassador of Ukraine to NATO
In office
7 July 2017 – 29 August 2019
Preceded byYehor Bozhok
Personal details
Born (1970-02-20) 20 February 1970
Kiliya, Odessa Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityUkrainian
Alma materIgor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

Prystaiko is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine[4] and former Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine. Between 2014 and 2019, he was also the Ukrainian ambassador to Canada between 2012 and 2014 and the head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO (July 7, 2017). In May 2019 Prystaiko served as the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration who was responsible for foreign policy issues.[5][6] He is an NSDC member (since May 31, 2019).[7] He is also Vice-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine (from March 4, 2020, to June 4, 2020).

Biography

Prystaiko was born on 20 February 1970 in the city of Kiliya (Odesa Oblast), Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. He went to school in Odesa, Kyiv, and Zaporizhia. Eventually, the family settled in Kyiv.

In 1994, Prystaiko graduated cum laude from the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute's Faculty of Computer Science. In 1998, he received a master's degree from the Ukrainian State University of Finance and International Trade. He is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and English.

Prystaiko began his career in the private business sector. He was a co-founder of one of the first Ukrainian Internet providers and electronic media Electronni Visti.

In 1994, following his family's tradition of government service, he obtained a position at the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of Ukraine. At that time, the Ministry was expanding rapidly as Ukraine began to negotiate with GATT/WTO.

In 1997, he took a position in the economic section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, where he tried to develop trade with Asian countries. It was the most important task because, at that time, the Ministry initiated negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the GATT / WTO and started to look for new opportunities for Ukrainian business in the markets, especially in Africa and Asia. In 1997, he moved to the Asia-Pacific Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2000, Prystaiko became a consul to Sydney, Australia where he was involved in political and economic issues.

Since 2002, he worked in the Foreign Policy Directorate of the Administration of the President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma.

In December 2004, Vadym Prystaiko was appointed as a political counselor to the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada. Two years later, he became the acting chargé d'affaires (temporary counsel for Ukraine in Canada).

In 2007, he was a part of Ukraine's NATO negotiating team and served as the Deputy Director-General for NATO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2009, he became Deputy Chief of the Mission at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington D.C.

On November 8, 2012, the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich appointed Prystaiko as Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada.[8][9] He became also a Ukrainian representative in the International Civil Aviation Organisation.[10]

Prystaiko meets with U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo in Kyiv, Ukraine on January 31, 2020.

In December 2014, he was named Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the apparatus under Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.[11]

He was Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO (July 7, 2017 – August 29, 2019).

On May 22, 2019, Prystaiko was appointed Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration by the decree of the President of Ukraine. He was a Member of the National Investment Council (June 21, 2019).[12]

On August 29, 2019, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in the Government of Oleksiy Honcharuk.[13] But on March 4, 2020, he was released from the post and appointed Vice Prime Minister for Euro-Atlantic Integration in the Government of Denys Shmyhal. On June 4, 2020, he was released from this post.[14][15]

From July 20, 2020, he is Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK.[3][16]

Since December 30, 2020, Prystaiko is a Representative of Ukraine in the International Maritime Organization (IMO).[17]

In February 2022, during the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, Prystaiko said UK defence secretary's Ben Wallace's comparison of diplomatic efforts with Russia to the appeasement policies of the 1930s was unhelpful.[18] Prystaiko warned "There's panic everywhere not just in people's minds but in financial markets as well" and it is "hurting the Ukrainian economy on sort of the same level as people leaving the embassy".[19]

Family

Vadym Prystayko's father Volodymyr Ilyich Pristayko (1941–2008) was General lieutenant of Justice and Vice director of SBU, but since 1991 he worked in a commission of adaptation of laws to EU standards and on rehabilitation of politically repressed. He is an Honored Lawyer of Ukraine.

He is married to Inna Prystaiko.[20] They have two sons Volodymyr and Andrii.

He likes sports, earning a black belt in Taekwondo.

See also

References
  1. Rada with 255 votes backs appointment of Stefanyshyna as deputy PM for European Integration, Interfax-Ukraine (4 June 2020)
  2. "Zelensky appointed Pristaika ambassador to Britain". Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 20 July 2020.
  3. "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №287/2020". Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  4. "Пристайка призначили міністром закордонних справ".
  5. Zelensky appoints Prystaiko as Deputy Head of Presidential Administration, 112.international, May 22, 2019
  6. "Prystaiko was appointed as a Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №340/2019". Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  8. УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ № 630/2012 Presidential order of appointment of Prystaiko as Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada.
  9. "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ № 833/2014 Про звільнення В. Пристайка з посад Надзвичайного і Повноважного Посла України в Канаді та Представника України при Міжнародній організації цивільної авіації (ІКАО)".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ № 764/2012 Presidential order on appointment of Prystaiko as Ukrainian representative in the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
  11. Ambassador Prystaiko named Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and head of the apparatus, Argumenty i fakty Ukraine, December 19, 2014)]
  12. "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №423/2019". Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  13. "Рада звільнила Кабмін Гройсмана". РБК-Украина (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  14. "Парламент звільнив віцепрем'єра Пристайка". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  15. "Про звільнення Пристайка В.В. з посади Віце-прем'єр-міністра з питань європейської та євроатлантичної інтеграції України". zakon.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  16. "Зеленський призначив Пристайка послом у Британії". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  17. "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №611/2020". Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  18. "Ukraine tensions: US defends evacuating embassy as Zelensky urges calm". BBC News. 13 February 2022.
  19. "Ukraine criticises Ben Wallace's appeasement comparison with diplomacy efforts". The Independent. 13 February 2022.
  20. "Inna Prystaiko and Vadym Prystaiko".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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