Embassy and consulates of Ukraine – diplomatic mission of Ukraine in the United Kingdom and related consular offices.
During the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921 a diplomatic mission of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1919-1921) and a delegation of the government in exile of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic (1920-1923) functioned in London. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919-1991) did not have its own diplomatic mission in the UK, its interests being represented by the embassy of the Soviet Union.
After Ukraine’s declaration of independence was confirmed by the referendum of 1 December 1991, the UK recognised Ukraine as an independent state on 31 December. Diplomatic relations between the two states were formally established on 10 January 1992 and, on 14 May, Serhii Komisarenko was appointed Ukraine’s first ambassador to the UK. The ambassador officially took up his functions on 9 September with the presentation of a copy of his letter of credence to the UK Foreign Office, and on 28 October he presented his credentials to Queen Elizabeth II. Other members of the Embassy staff began to arrive in London in September 1992.
Since there was no immediate prospect of Ukraine inheriting any of the London properties of the former Soviet Union, the Embassy began discussions with Ukrainian organisations which had buildings in London regarding the possibility of obtaining one of these for its use. In most cases this proved to be unfeasible for legal or other reasons, however in the second half of 1992 the Federation of Ukrainians in Great Britain (FUGB) transferred its building at 78 Kensington Park Road to the Embassy, in return for an equivalent property in Kyiv being made available to the Oleh Olzhych Foundation. In 1996 the Ukrainian government purchased a building at 60 Holland Park, into which the main part of the Embassy moved while its Consular Section remained at 78 Kensington Park Road.
In February 2002 a Consulate General (since 2015 – Consulate) of Ukraine was opened in Edinburgh in premises at 8 Windsor Street, which the Edinburgh branch of the FUGB had previously transferred to the Ukrainian government. The Edinburgh Consulate assumed responsibility for Scotland and Northern Ireland, while the Consular Section in London continued to be responsible for England and Wales.
In addition to performing the usual diplomatic and consular functions with respect to the United Kingdom and citizens of Ukraine present in the UK, the Embassy and consulate also maintain links with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, the Ukrainian Institute London and other Ukrainian diaspora organisations, and cooperate with them in, for example, marking anniversaries of historical events (the 1932-32 Holodomor, the 1986 Chornobyl tragedy, the 1991 declaration of Ukraine’s independence), conducting cultural events, and organising assistance for Ukraine after the Russian invasion of February 2022.
Embassy: ambassadors – Serhii Komisarenko (1992-1998), Volodymyr Vasylenko (1998-2002), Ihor Mitiukov (2002-2005), Ihor Kharchenko (2005-2010), Volodymyr Khandohiy (2010-2014), Nataliia Halibarenko (2015-2020), Vadym Prystaiko (2020- ); interim chargés d'affaires – Andrii Kuzmenko (2014), Ihor Kyzym (2014-2015).
Edinburgh Consulate: consuls general – Oleksandr Tsvietkov (2002-2006), Bohdan Yaremenko (2006-2009), Mykhailo Osnach (2010-2015); consuls – Vadym Vakhrushev (2009-2010), Andrii Kuslii (2015- ).
Bibliography
Pres-sluzhba Posolstva Ukrainy u Velykobrytanii, ‘Informatsiia z Posolstva Ukrainy’, Ukrainska Dumka (London), 14 January 1993, p. 7
Boiko, O., ‘Ne treba prosyty mylosti u Sviatoi Sofii’, Vechirnii Kyiv (Kyiv), 27 March 1993
Hrubinko, A. V., Ukrainsko-brytanski vidnosyny 1991-2004 (Ternopil, 2005), p.84-87
Komisarenko S., ‘Yak my pochynaly v “Netumannomu Albioni”’, Ukraina Dyplomatychna (Kyiv), No. XIX (2018), pp. 186-194, 200-213