In a gesture interpreted as a beginning of diplomatic re -engagement towards Ukraine, the administration of Donald Trump appointed Julie Davis on Thursday as a new manager in kyiv. This experienced, Russian-speaking diplomat, a specialist in the former Soviet Union, will now represent the United States in Ukraine in the absence of a formal ambassador. She will continue to occupy her current ambassador in Cyprus, said the State Department.
This choice comes when relations between Washington and kyiv have experienced strong turbulence in recent months. The latest ambassador on the post, Bridget Brink, had been appointed in 2022 by the Biden administration, at a critical time just after the Russian invasion. She left office last month, marking the end of an era more committed to kyiv.
A pragmatic dialogue with kyiv
The arrival of Julie Davis occurs just after the signing in Washington of a bilateral agreement on Ukrainian critical ores. This text, perceived as an opening signal after a period of diplomatic cooling.
Our file on the war in Ukraine
If no ambassador has yet been officially designated, this appointment suggests that the Trump administration is trying to restore pragmatic dialogue with kyiv. The new manager’s mission will be to navigate between the expectations of a strategic partner at war and a White House which continues to display an ambivalent posture towards Moscow.
