KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has replaced one of his longest-serving officials, Oleksiy Danilov, who had earlier criticized a Chinese peace plan.

“Today I continued rebooting the system of managing our state. There are staff replacements. I am grateful to Oleksiy Danilov for his work as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. He was transferred to another direction. More on that later,” Zelenskyy said in an evening statement.

Danilov, who also put out a statement but didn’t elaborate on the reasons for his dismissal, will be replaced by Oleksandr Lytvynenko, head of Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service.

Danilov’s firing came after he expressively criticized Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, as well as a Chinese peace initiative, on air during a Ukrainian national telethon.

“As for Li Hui, I want to remind everyone: No one will decide our fate but us,” Danilov said on March 19. “I don’t understand who can trade our territories, our lands like that. Because some Hui, I’m sorry, or whatever his last name is, or someone else think they should decide it.”

After a recent visit to Europe Li said that while Kyiv and Moscow remained far apart, “in the end they all agree that the war must be resolved through negotiations rather than guns,” as reported by Al Jazeera.