In a significant diplomatic move, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that Olha Stefanishyna, the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Euro-Atlantic integration, will be appointed as the country’s new ambassador to the United States.
Taking to Telegram, President Zelenskyy shared the news of the new appointment, enabling her to begin engaging with Washington and strengthening bilateral ties even as the formal procedures for her ambassadorial appointment are being completed.
Mending Ties
Ukraine is making efforts to repair its strained relationship with the United States, following a public clash between President Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump during their meeting at the White House in February — an incident that drew significant international attention and highlighted growing diplomatic tensions.
Stefanishyna has served as Ukraine’s minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration since 2020, during which time Ukraine began its accession process to the EU.
Ukraine’s current ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, incurred the wrath of Trump’s incoming administration during the 2024 election battle with his predecessor Joe Biden.
Markarova was accused by Republicans of helping Biden’s Democratic Party by organising Zelenskyy’s visit to a Pennsylvania ammunition factory in autumn 2024, which was attended by Democratic politicians but not by Republicans.
The incident was prominently raised by US Vice President JD Vance during a heated exchange with President Zelenskyy in the diplomatically tense Oval Office meeting, which many described as disastrous. Markarova was also present during the meeting.
Full Audit
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s newly appointed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, who was voted in by parliament earlier in the day, said on X that her priorities in the role would be to ensure reliable supplies to the army and to expand domestic weapons production.
Svyrydenko said on Thursday that her government would be launching a full audit of public finances to achieve “real savings”, and that large-scale privatisations should be accelerated.
(With inputs from Reuters)
