Resignation of the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine

The U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, has decided to resign due to increasing political disagreements with President Donald Trump's team, according to sources familiar with her decision.

Source: Financial Times

Details: According to FT, Brink faced significant pressure from senior officials in the Trump administration, who questioned her readiness to support the White House's new strategy regarding Ukraine.

Trump's policy differs greatly from that of the previous Biden administration, which provided billions of dollars in military and financial aid to Kyiv and imposed sanctions on Russia.

"Ambassador Brink is stepping down. She has been in this position for three years – a long time in a conflict zone," said State Department spokesperson Tammi Bruce.

Direct quote: "Western diplomats in Kyiv characterized Brink as a key defender of Ukraine both publicly and privately from the early weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. One described her as a "strong personality" and a "serious diplomat," adding that the pressure from both the Trump and Zelensky administrations had negatively impacted her."

Details: Ukrainian officials considered the ambassador too critical of them, particularly regarding their efforts to combat corruption.

Officials pointed to noticeable changes in her messaging recently, which they believed had become more aligned with Trump’s stance and increasingly critical of Ukraine.

An analysis of Brink's posts on social media platform X, conducted by Financial Times, revealed significant changes in her rhetoric following Trump's inauguration on January 20. In the 75 days before the new president took office, she criticized Russia and the war in Ukraine 53 times, while in the 75 days after, she made only five posts mentioning Russia, none of which blamed it for military actions.

Background:

Earlier on Thursday, several media outlets reported the possibility of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine's resignation, citing sources.

Later, the U.S. State Department confirmed that Bridget Brink was leaving her post as ambassador to Ukraine, explaining it was due to the completion of her three-year term in wartime conditions.

Recently, Brink faced criticism from Volodymyr Zelensky after she failed to mention Russia in her post about the Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih on April 4.