Brink confirmed by Senate as new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine
Reuters
WASHINGTON • The Senate confirmed Bridget Brink late Wednesday as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, filling the post as officials plan to return American diplomats to Kyiv during the nation’s continuing battle against the Russian invasion.
The veteran foreign service officer, who has spent most of her career in the shadow of the former Soviet Union, was nominated to the position last month by President Joe Biden. She was confirmed unanimously by the Senate without a formal roll call vote.
American diplomats evacuated Kyiv when the war began three months ago, but the U.S. reopened the embassy Wednesday.
The ambassador’s post has been vacant since former President Donald Trump abruptly forced out Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch in 2019.
She later became a key figure in the first impeachment proceedings against Trump.
A Michigan native who speaks Russian, Brink is currently U.S. ambassador to Slovakia. She has been a career diplomat for 25 years and has worked in Uzbekistan and Georgia as well as in several senior positions across the State Department and White House National Security Council.
Brink was confirmed by unanimous voice vote in 2019, when former Republican President Donald Trump nominated her for the position in Bratislava.
NATIONAL POLITICS
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2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z
2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z
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