‘Expecting Swift Progress in Our Relations’ – Zelensky Names New Ambassador to US

In his evening address on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new Ambassador to the United States: Olha Stefanishyna, a longtime Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

After speaking with Stefanishyna, Zelensky said in his address:

“I outlined the key tasks for updating the work of our embassy, and most importantly – to fully implement all the agreements reached in Washington, like our agreements with President [Donald] Trump, primarily in the defense sphere.

“In many respects, Ukraine’s long-term security depends on relations with America.

“Two Ukrainian proposals are on the table, and they are strong ones. One is an agreement on weapons for Ukraine, and the other is an agreement on modern drones for the United States. And we are counting on swift progress in our relations.”

In July, Kyiv and Washington inked a drone deal, under the terms of which the US would buy battle-tested drones and technology from Kyiv in exchange for unspecified US weapons, as described by Zelensky as a “win-win” situation.

On Aug. 21, Zelensky said that Ukraine had proposed a deal to the US “for $50 billion over five years – 10 million drones per year,” accompanied by a plan for Kyiv to purchase US weapons worth $90 million.

On Monday, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine, in Kyiv to discuss the steps involved in such a deal.

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Zelensky said Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday as part of ongoing efforts to end the war, a conference that would likely include the new ambassador.

Stefanishyna’s appointment was no great surprise: On July 17, Zelensky said she was already being vetted for the position.

“All the necessary procedures for approving her candidacy with Washington as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States are underway,” he said at the time.

The 39-year-old Stefanishyna has worked in the sphere of Eurointegration since 2017, except for the years from 2019-2020, after her Ukrainian Strategy party failed to win enough seats to send her to parliament. She consequently worked for a Kyiv law firm for that year.

In 2020, she was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, a post she held until 2024 when she resigned and subsequently was named Minister of Justice. She retained her earlier role in an acting capacity.

Stefanishyna holds degrees from both the Institute for Foreign Affairs of the University of Kyiv and Odesa National Economics University.

She takes over the reigns in Washington from Oksana Markarova, who had acted as chief of mission in Washington since 2021. She had been expected to be replaced by Zelensky ever since he foreshadowed sweeping government changes last month. Markarova was heavily criticized by leading US Republicans for allegedly favoring the Democratic Party.