President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly discussed replacing the sitting Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during his Friday call with US President Donald Trump.
Zelensky and Trump both called the discussions positive, with Zelensky stating that the two discussed procurement of air defense assets and joint arms production, with no mention of the recent halt to US arms delivery.
Bloomberg, citing “a person familiar with the matter,” said the possibility of replacing Markarova was also discussed, but it was unclear who initiated the conversation.
Citing the same source, Bloomberg said that along with Shmyhal, other high-ranking officials are also being considered for the role, including Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
The informant said Zelensky has already instructed Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work on the issue with its US counterpart.
Markarova has been in the role since February 2021, having previously served as Ukraine’s minister of finance between June 2018 and March 2020, according to her official biography.
During the 2024 elections, Trump supporters criticized Markarova for arranging Zelensky’s visit to a munitions factory in Pennsylvania – former US President Joe Biden’s hometown – accusing her of election interference.
But it is unclear if the incident is related to the alleged replacement talks.
News that Shmyhal might be replaced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko has featured in Ukrainian media reports in recent weeks.
The reason for Shmyhal’s alleged replacement plan is supposedly Zelensky’s desire to bring in fresh ideas amid internal power struggles within the Presidential Office – reports Kyiv Post has not been able to verify.
This will not be the first time Zelensky has replaced his representative to senior allies with high-ranking officials – in March 2024, he appointed his former Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny to be the ambassador to the UK.