According to information from two former high-ranking Ukrainian officials and four deputies, the Ukrainian president is struggling to find a person with sufficient authority to represent Kyiv in relations with the Donald Trump administration.
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A former high-ranking official and a Republican foreign policy expert say that V. Zelensky previously accelerated reform plans in an attempt to offer the ambassador post to former Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. However, she declined, which disrupted the president’s plans.
“It is no secret that I expected Yulia Svyrydenko’s candidacy and offered her the ambassador post to the USA,” V. Zelensky said at a press conference at the end of July.
Looking for a high-ranking politician
He also emphasized at that time that he was looking for a candidate with the highest qualifications – a person whose rank would be no lower than vice prime minister, minister, or prime minister.
However, as “Politico” notes, since then other potential candidates have also declined the difficult task of working with the “unpredictable” D. Trump administration.
Former Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister for Integration into European and Euro-Atlantic Structures Ivana Klympush-Tsintsadze said that people with sufficient authority and qualifications fear that they will not be provided with the proper conditions to perform their work.
According to her, this has significantly narrowed V. Zelensky’s freedom of choice. I. Klympush-Tsintsadze believes that such a person would probably have to come from the president’s closest circle, but there is nothing in it that seriously fits this role.
There are willing candidates, but they are unsuitable
A former Ukrainian deputy who wished to remain anonymous said that there are people in V. Zelensky’s team seeking this post, but “none of them are really suitable.”
“It would be too simple to say that no one wants to take these positions. Of course, there are those who want to, but none of them meet the requirements. V. Zelensky is having a hard time finding a replacement,” he said.
The US may try to renew peace talks
Journalists also note signs that the White House may soon try to renew peace talks.
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“In such a case, it is extremely important to have a politically weighty ambassador in Washington who can seek agreements, has the authority to speak on behalf of V. Zelensky, and can navigate an administration where policies can change rapidly. He must also be able to conduct lobbying in Congress,” the article states.
“Politico” also clarifies that Ukraine may be left without an influential politician in Washington precisely at the time when decisions are being made about weapons, air defense, logistics, intelligence sharing, and conditions for renewing peace talks.
“It is likely that V. Zelensky will not appoint anyone until the US midterm elections. Until these elections take place, it will be difficult to decide who best fits the current political environment,” said deputy Yaroslav Yurchyshyn.
The previous ambassador resigned
On July 12, 2026, the media reported that Ukraine’s ambassador to the USA, Olha Stefanishyna, requested to end her diplomatic service due to personal circumstances. On the same day, deputy Oleksiy Honcharenka stated that O. Stefanishyna might receive a notification of suspicion from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, writes “New Voice.”
On August 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree dismissing O. Stefanishyna from the position of Ukraine’s ambassador to the USA. O. Stefanishyna herself said that she made the decision to resign for personal reasons.
On August 5, it became clear that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office handed O. Stefanishyna a notification of suspicion regarding the acquisition of property through other persons acting on her behalf. O. Stefanishyna did not declare two one-room apartments, as well as cash spent on renovating these apartments, her mother’s medical treatment, plane tickets, and rent for another apartment. In addition, she did not declare that she used a “Mercedes” car registered in the name of a subordinate. On August 6, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on O. Stefanishyna – a bail of 6 million hryvnias.
Umerov was also mentioned
The media reported that O. Stefanishyna could be replaced as ambassador to the USA by Yulia Svyrydenko, who was recently dismissed from the prime minister position. On July 23, Ukrainian President V. Zelensky confirmed that he offered J. Svyrydenko this position.
On July 21, the portal LIGA.net, citing sources in the president’s office, wrote that one of the main candidates for Ukraine’s ambassador to the USA is Rustem Umerov. On August 3, the president appointed R. Umerov, who previously served as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
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