Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, is stepping down from her post, the State Department said on Thursday, adding a new uncertainty into the relationship between Washington and Kyiv as tensions remain high amid Russia's invasion.
"Ambassador Brink is stepping down. She's been the ambassador there for three years – that's a long time in a war zone," a State Department spokesperson said, according to Reuters.
She has already begun making farewell calls to colleagues, CBS News reported Thursday, citing sources.
Brink's decision is driven by a combination of personal and policy-related concerns, including frustration about recent USAID layoffs, the report said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had initially declined Brink's resignation in January, showcasing a desire to keep her in the role.
Brink was nominated for the post by former President Joe Biden and has served as ambassador in Kyiv since May 2022.
Brink is one of the highest-ranking career diplomats to leave the State Department since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. She joins other departing veteran officials with decades of experience, such as the agency's No. 3 official, John Bass, who stepped aside in January.
Her departure comes as the Trump administration tries to broker a deal between Ukraine and Russia to end the war that started with Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022. Washington has tried to implement two limited cease-fire agreements in recent weeks – one for energy infrastructure and one in the Black Sea – but both have fallen through.
"Ambassador Brink's been ambassador at the embassy in Ukraine for three years during a time of war... An extraordinary performance there, and we wish her well," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Thursday at a regular news briefing.
"We're working for that war to end, and that is our focus, and we expect, of course, our work... will continue in that regard."
It is unclear who will take over as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. The U.S. official and another person familiar with the matter said Chris Smith, the deputy assistant secretary for Eastern Europe and policy and regional affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, is being considered. Smith previously served as deputy chief of mission in the U.S. embassy in Kyiv from 2022 to 2023.
Brink, who has overseen the transition between two administrations with vastly different Ukraine policies, was recently criticized in Ukraine for her response to a Russian strike that hit a playground in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih and killed 11 adults and nine children.
On social media platform X, Brink posted about the strike, but did not mention Russia.
Zelenskyy criticized the U.S. embassy, saying on X that its response was "surprisingly disappointing."
"Such a strong country, such a strong people, and yet such a weak reaction," Zelenskyy said. "They are afraid to even say the word 'Russian' when speaking about the missile that murdered children."
There was no indication that this episode was a factor in Brink's departure.
While political appointees typically submit their resignations when a new president takes office, most career foreign service officers continue from one administration to the next, even as the incoming president has the right to install new officials to those positions.
