Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink has announced she will run for Congress in Michigan, her home state.
Brink, running as a Democrat, launched her campaign on June 18 with a statement on X highlighting her decades of public service.
“I’ve dedicated my life to protecting democracy and fighting for freedom. It’s why we stood up to Putin and why I spoke out against Trump,” she said. “My next mission: fighting for what’s right here at home. I’m running for #MI07 because it’s time to put Michigan families first and fight back.”
The 2026 Congressional elections will determine who will represent Michigan’s 7th District.
Brink completed her nearly three-year mission as US Ambassador to Ukraine in April. She was appointed by former President Joe Biden as US ambassador to Ukraine in April 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
According to an op-ed published in mid-May, Brink resigned in protest after nearly 30 years in public service.
In her piece for the Detroit Free Press, Brink wrote that while she respects the right of a duly-elected President Donald Trump to shape foreign policy, she could not support what she described as a shift – starting with the Trump administration – toward pressuring Ukraine instead of holding Russia accountable.
“I cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded, and children killed with impunity,” she wrote, adding that peace achieved through concessions to aggressors is not true peace, but appeasement.
Brink argued that history repeatedly shows appeasement only leads to more war and suffering. She reflected on her years in Ukraine, saying the brutality she witnessed was unlike anything Europe had seen since World War II.
“For three years, I heard the stories and saw the destruction caused by Russian missiles and drones hitting playgrounds, churches, and schools,” she wrote.
Despite leaving her diplomatic post, she said she will continue to advocate for strong US leadership in defending democracies.
Brink’s resignation ended a distinguished career spanning five presidential administrations. She was the first confirmed US ambassador to Ukraine since 2019, following a three-year gap after Trump dismissed Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.
Previously, Brink served as US ambassador to Slovakia under Trump.
On May 1, it was announced that Trump had appointed diplomat Julie Davis as the new US Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine.