Politico: Zelensky can’t find a Ukrainian ambassador to the US — every candidate says no
Zelensky is struggling to find a new ambassador to the United States after several candidates turned down the post, senior Ukrainian officials and lawmakers told Politico.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is finding it difficult to secure a new United States ambassador, as potential candidates have all declined the position, according to senior Ukrainian officials and lawmakers speaking to Politico. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a former deputy prime minister, suggests that the high-profile nature of the role deters individuals from applying, stating that they "would not enjoy the conditions they would need to do the job properly."
She believes the nominee should come from Zelensky's inner circle of trusted advisors, yet she points out that no one within this group meets the necessary requirements. A former diplomat notes that while there are individuals interested in the position, none possess the qualifications required to fulfill it. Zelensky attempted to appoint Yulia Svyrydenko to the role as early as July, shortly after she resigned as prime minister, but she adamantly refused, as confirmed by sources cited by Politico.
Other hopeful candidates have also expressed reluctance, making the task of finding a suitable ambassador a challenging one, especially considering the volatile nature of the current administration in Washington under President Joe Biden. Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's former ambassador to the United States, who served through the entirety of Biden's presidency, had been appointed by Zelensky.
Markarova, who previously held the ambassadorship before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, stepped down from the post in August 2025. She resigned of her own accord due to personal circumstances. However, two days after stepping down, Ukraine's anticorruption agencies notified her that she was under suspicion for illegal enrichment and submitting false information in her asset declaration.
Her case is currently under judicial scrutiny. This report, written by a Meduza journalist and translated from Russian using AI, adheres to strict editorial standards and has been reviewed by a Meduza editor before publication.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
