Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, is stepping down from her publish, the State Department mentioned on Thursday, including a brand new uncertainty into the connection between Washington and Kyiv as tensions stay excessive amid Russia’s invasion.
“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 mentioned, based on Reuters.
She has already begun making farewell calls to colleagues, CBS News reported Thursday, citing sources.
Brink’s choice is pushed by a mix of private and policy-related issues, together with frustration about current USAID layoffs, the report mentioned.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had initially declined Brink’s resignation in January, showcasing a want to maintain her within the position.
Brink was nominated for the publish by former President Joe Biden and has served as ambassador in Kyiv since May 2022.
Brink is likely one of the highest-ranking profession diplomats to depart the State Department since President Donald Trump took workplace on Jan. 20. She joins different departing veteran officers with many years of expertise, such because the company’s No. 3 official, John Bass, who stepped apart in January.
Her departure comes because the Trump administration tries to dealer a deal between Ukraine and Russia to finish the warfare that began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Washington has tried to implement two restricted cease-fire agreements in current weeks – one for power infrastructure and one within the Black Sea – however each have fallen by means of.
“Ambassador Brink’s been ambassador at the embassy in Ukraine for three years during a time of war… An extraordinary performance there, and we wish her well,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce advised reporters on Thursday at a daily news briefing.
“We’re working for that war to end, and that is our focus, and we expect, of course, our work… will continue in that regard.”
It is unclear who will take over as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. The U.S. official and one other individual conversant in the matter mentioned Chris Smith, the deputy assistant secretary for Eastern Europe and coverage and regional affairs within the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, is being thought of. Smith beforehand served as deputy chief of mission within the U.S. embassy in Kyiv from 2022 to 2023.
Brink, who has overseen the transition between two administrations with vastly totally different Ukraine insurance policies, was not too long ago criticized in Ukraine for her response to a Russian strike that hit a playground in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih and killed 11 adults and 9 kids.
On social media platform X, Brink posted concerning the strike, however didn’t point out Russia.
Zelenskyy criticized the U.S. embassy, saying on X that its response was “surprisingly disappointing.”
“Such a strong country, such a strong people, and yet such a weak reaction,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “They are afraid to even say the word ‘Russian’ when speaking about the missile that murdered children.”
There was no indication that this episode was a consider Brink’s departure.
While political appointees sometimes submit their resignations when a brand new president takes workplace, most profession international service officers proceed from one administration to the following, even because the incoming president has the suitable to put in new officers to these positions.
Source: www.dailysabah.com