Ukraine names new ambassador to U.S. as truce efforts mount

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday (August 27, 2025) he had appointed a former Deputy Prime Minister, Olga Stefanishyna, as Kyiv’s new ambassador to the United States, as Washington-backed efforts to halt the war with Russia intensify.

Zelenskyy signed a decree unexpectedly naming Ms. Stefanishyna, who is also a former Justice Minister, to the key post, he said in his evening address posted on social media.

“In many ways, Ukraine’s long-term security depends on its relations with America,” he said.

He added that Ukraine was proposing to Washington to strike accords on having Kyiv’s European allies buy U.S. weapons and through an agreement to supply Ukrainian drones to the United States.

Washington is Ukraine’s biggest military backer and U.S. President Donald Trump has made a series of moves over recent months to try to resolve the conflict with Russia, despite sometimes tense exchanges with Mr. Zelenskyy.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticised the tens of billions of dollars in annual U.S. military and financial aid to Ukraine.

Ms. Stefanishyna replaces Oksana Markarova, who, as ambassador since 2021, oversaw the flow of U.S. aid under Mr. Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The new ambassador also previously served as Ukraine’s minister for European integration and was involved in negotiations with the United States that led to a recent agreement for it to mine Ukraine’s rare minerals.

Zelenskyy said on Wednesday (August 27, 2025) that members of his administration would meet with U.S. officials in New York on Friday (August 29, 2025) as part of ongoing efforts to end the war.