On August 27, President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Olha Stefanyshyna as Ukraineʼs new ambassador to the United States.
He reported that he had already signed the relevant decree. At the time of publication of the news, the document was not yet available on the Presidentʼs Office (OP) website.
"I have identified key tasks for renewing the work of our embassy, and the main thing is to fully implement all agreements with Washington — our agreements with President Trump, and primarily in the defense sector," the president said.
According to him, Ukraine is counting on rapid progress in relations with the United States. In particular, there are currently two Ukrainian proposals — an arms deal for Ukraine and an agreement on modern drones for the United States.
Zelensky also thanked former Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova, who held this position throughout the years of the full-scale invasion. The president suggested that she continue to be on the team. He did not specify in what role.
What is known about Olha Stefanyshyna?
Since 2020, she has been the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine. And in 2024, she also became Minister of Justice and held this position until the resignation of the government on July 16. Since July 17 of this year, she has held the position of Presidential Envoy for Development of Cooperation with the United States.
- In September 2024, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, called on Zelensky to fire Oksana Markarova, accusing the ambassador of alleged unreliability and ineffectiveness as a diplomat. At that time, Volodymyr Zelensky refused to discuss Markarovaʼs dismissal with Speaker Johnson.
- Zelensky first confirmed that the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States would be replaced on July 10 of this year.
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