US Senate confirms Brink as Ukraine ambassador

The United States Senate has approved the appointment of Bridget Brink, a career diplomat, as the country’s new ambassador to Ukraine, putting an end to Washington’s three-year stretch without a Senate-approved envoy in Kyiv.

 

Voting in the Senate was held late on May 18, local time. Earlier, Brink’s candidacy was supported by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

 

President Joe Biden nominated Brink for the post on April 25.

 

The US has not had an ambassador to Ukraine since 2019, when then-President Donald Trump recalled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch from Kyiv.

 

The diplomat linked his recall to criticism of Trump’s policy toward Ukraine. Since then, the United States has had an acting ambassador to Kyiv.

 

Brink’s activities in Kyiv began during the most difficult period for modern Ukraine, as the country is at war with Russia. The American diplomat will officially start acting as ambassador in June. 

 

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US embassy temporarily closed in Kyiv resumed operations on May 18.

 

Prior to her appointment as Ambassador to Ukraine, Brink was US Ambassador to Slovakia. 

 

In 2018, the American publication Foreign Policy wrote that the US was planning to appoint  Brink as ambassador to Georgia, however, reportedly  the Georgian Dream authorities blocked her candidacy as she was perceived as a supporter of the previous president, Mikheil Saakashvili’s government. 

 

However, the Georgia Dream dismissed the reports over Brink.

 

Brink served as  the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Diplomatic Mission in Georgia between 2011 and 2014.