US ambassador to Ukraine stepping down, State Department says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Ambassador Bridget Brink faced criticism recently over her response to a Russian missile strike that hit a playground in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, killing 11 adults and nine children.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink is stepping down from her role, a State Department spokesperson said on April 10, in a move that injects new uncertainty into the relationship between Washington and Kyiv.
Reuters reported earlier that Ms Brink was considering stepping down and leaving the foreign service, according to a US official and two other people familiar with the matter.
“Ambassador Brink is stepping down. She’s been the ambassador there for three years – that’s a long time in a war zone,” a State Department spokesperson said, in an e-mailed response.
Ms Brink was nominated for the post by former president Joe Biden and has served as ambassador in Kyiv since May 2022.
She is leaving on her own accord, the sources said.
Ms Brink is one of the highest-ranking career diplomats to leave the State Department since President Donald Trump took office on Jan 20. She joins other departing veteran officials with decades of experience, such as the agency’s No. 3 official John Bass, who stepped aside in January.
Her departure comes as the Trump administration tries to broker a deal between Ukraine and Russia to end the war that started with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Washington has tried to implement two limited ceasefire agreements in recent weeks – one for energy infrastructure and one in the Black Sea – but both have fallen through.
It is unclear who will take over as US ambassador to Ukraine. The US official and another person familiar with the matter said Mr Chris Smith, the deputy assistant secretary for Eastern Europe and policy and regional affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, is being considered.
Mr Smith previously served as deputy chief of mission in the US embassy in Kyiv from 2022 to 2023.
Ms Brink, who has overseen the transition between two administrations with vastly different Ukraine policies, was recently criticised in Ukraine for her response to a Russian strike that hit a playground
On social media platform X, Ms Brink posted about the strike, but did not mention Russia.
Mr Zelensky criticised the US embassy, saying on X its response was “surprisingly disappointing”.
“Such a strong country, such a strong people, and yet such a weak reaction,” Mr Zelensky said. “They are afraid to even say the word ‘Russian’ when speaking about the missile that murdered children.”
A Russian strike on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih killed 11 adults and nine children.
PHOTO: REUTERS
There was no indication that this episode was a factor in Ms Brink’s departure.
While political appointees typically submit their resignations when a new president takes office, most career foreign service officers continue from one administration to the next, even as the incoming president has the right to install new officials to those positions.
Sources said Ms Brink is likely to leave in the coming weeks. REUTERS
