World
Zelensky fires Ukraine Ambassador to US
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna, in a move that follows a government reshuffle carried out last month.
The decision, announced through a presidential decree on Monday, had been widely anticipated after the recent changes within the Ukrainian government.
The dismissal comes at a critical time as Kyiv intensifies diplomatic efforts to persuade Washington to supply additional Patriot air defence missile systems to strengthen its ability to intercept escalating Russian aerial attacks.
In a Facebook post in which she also posted a letter asking to be relieved of her duties, Stefanishyna said the decision was her own and “dictated by personal circumstances”.
She called her posting to Washington “the greatest honour” of her life.
“We increased the supply of American weapons and maintained support precisely when the political climate in Washington was shifting against us,” she added.
Stefanishyna, a former deputy prime minister and justice minister, was nominated as ambassador in July last year.
The role is crucial for Ukraine, which depends on US arms deliveries and intelligence-sharing in the conflict against Russia.
Relations between Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump have been strained and, at times, stormy.
But the billionaire Republican former real estate mogul has recently been more encouraging towards the Ukrainian leader.
According to Ukrainian media, Stefanishyna is under investigation by the country’s anti-corruption agency on suspicion of wrongdoing, although she has not been formally accused.
Zelensky, who made a controversial government reshuffle in July, has not yet announced who will replace Stefanishyna as ambassador in Washington.
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