US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have identified career diplomat Julie Davis, currently the US Ambassador to Cyprus, to lead the US Embassy in Kyiv as of next week, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced Thursday, May 1.
The move comes just days after the resignation of Bridget Brink, a Joe Biden appointee who had been serving as US Ambassador to Ukraine since 2022. Davis will assume the role of Chargé d’Affaires in Kyiv, ad interim, effective Monday, May 5.
In this capacity, Davis will work tirelessly to end the war “during this critical moment as we move toward a peace agreement to stop the bloodshed,” Bruce told a daily press briefing, adding that Davis will strengthen the bilateral relationship, making both America and Ukraine safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
Davis is currently in Washington, D.C., but she will be headed to Kyiv this weekend to assume her role on Monday. Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent reports that she will also remain as accredited US Ambassador to Cyprus while running the Embassy in Kyiv.
Davis’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for US-Ukrainian relations, as the Trump administration has tried to broker an end to the Russian invasion in part by shifting the policy toward diplomatically isolating Vladimir Putin. While Kyiv accepted a US ceasefire proposal, the Kremlin has not, prompting Washington to clarify that its patience with Moscow runs thin.
Davis’s appointment also comes just a day after the US and Ukraine inked a long-awaited deal to share profits generated by the sale of Ukraine’s mineral and energy reserves.
Davis is a distinguished career member of the Senior Foreign Service, holding the diplomatic rank of Minister Counselor.
With a robust background in international diplomacy, she has served in pivotal roles over the last 30 years, including her current role as the US Ambassador to Cyprus and as the former Ambassador/Special Envoy for Belarus.
She has previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Europe and the European Union and Deputy Permanent Representative of the US Mission to NATO.
Ambassador Davis said she is honored to serve in this post until the President nominates a new Ambassador to Ukraine, who will need Senate confirmation to have permanent status.