US ambassador to Ukraine stepping down
The US State Department has confirmed that Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink will be leaving her post in the near future. Media reports began circulating several days ago that the diplomat would resign soon.
When asked to comment during a press briefing on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that “Ambassador Brink’s been ambassador at the embassy in Ukraine for three years, during a time of war for those three years, an extraordinary performance there, and we wish her well.”
When further pressed by a reporter to provide an unequivocal confirmation, Bruce replied that the envoy was “returning home. Yes.”
Reuters, citing anonymous sources, has reported that Brink is leaving of her own accord. Appointed by former President Joe Biden, she has served as ambassador in Kiev since May 2022.
While there has been no official information as to her potential replacement, the outlet quoted another unnamed source as saying that Chris Smith, the deputy assistant secretary for Eastern Europe and policy and regional affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, is among the candidates under consideration. Smith served as deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in the Ukrainian capital between 2022 and 2023, Reuters noted.
Brink’s resignation comes at a time when US President Donald Trump is engaged in active diplomacy with Russia in an effort to put an end to the Ukraine conflict.
