The key facts

  • Zelensky said there is no specific candidate for the post of Ukraine's ambassador to the US
  • Svyrydenko, Kuleba and Palisa were considered; Palisa, according to the president, declined and asked to be returned to the front
  • The post has been vacant since August 2026, when Olha Stefanishyna was dismissed and, two days later, came under investigation for illicit enrichment

The president said there are no candidates

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that there is no specific candidate for the post of Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, because, according to him, no one wants to take the job. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru citing the outlet Strana.ua.

Who was considered and who declined

According to Zelensky, former Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa were considered for the post. The president called the latter a suitable candidate because of his American education, knowledge of English and acquaintance with US President Donald Trump. However, according to Zelensky, Palisa declined: “Palisa would be a good ambassador, but he doesn't want the job. He said: 'Send me to the front, urgently return me to my brigade. I'm not leaving Ukraine for anywhere.' We will continue consultations on this matter.”

Context: the predecessor's dismissal and cases

The post of ambassador in Washington has been vacant since August, when Zelensky dismissed Olha Stefanishyna. The decree did not state the reason for the dismissal, but the diplomat herself said she had resigned of her own accord due to personal circumstances. Two days after her dismissal, Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies accused her of illicit enrichment: according to the investigation, she instructed a friend to buy two apartments, paid for their renovation, but did not declare the real estate. This is not Stefanishyna's first case: in 2024 she became a subject of an investigation into the embezzlement of funds allocated for the analysis of European legislation — according to the investigation, in 2013, when she headed the European integration department of the Ministry of Justice, the agency made an error in the tender procedure, as a result of which part of the funds was embezzled.

What is known and what remains unclear

Thus, the confirmed change from the previous situation is that the post of Ukraine's ambassador to the United States has remained vacant for about three months, and, according to the president, none of the three candidates considered has taken it so far. The outlet notes that the story is being updated; the timeline for appointing a new ambassador and the final choice of candidate remain unknown.