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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Former Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna named two candidates who were considered as her possible successors in Washington. According to her, President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a meeting with journalists, spoke about former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and diplomat Vadym Omelchenko. Stefanishyna said this in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reported by Glavkom.
During the interview, Stefanishyna was asked whether she knows who will become the next Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, and whether she advised anyone to the president for this post.
The former ambassador said that information about potential candidates is not classified, since their surnames have already been mentioned publicly. "This information is not classified. The president, in conversations with journalists, spoke about Dmytro Kuleba and Vadym Omelchenko, if I’m not mistaken. But it seems to me that neither of them is ready to head this direction today," Stefanishyna said.
At the same time, the former ambassador proposed a temporary solution until a final candidate for ambassador is chosen. In her view, Ukraine could appoint an interim chargé d’affaires.
"I think two things could be done. First, while there is no decision regarding the candidate, nothing prevents appointing an interim chargé d’affaires. This is a person who does not have full political mandate, but has certain representative powers, just like the interim chargé d’affaires to the United States here," she explained.
Dmytro Kuleba – one of the candidates for the position
Dmytro Kuleba – Ukrainian diplomat who led the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from March 2020 to September 2024. In the position of foreign minister, he worked, among other things, in the early years of Russia's full-scale invasion and engaged in mobilizing international support for Ukraine. Before that, Kuleba was deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration and permanent representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe.
photo: mfa.gov.ua
Vadym Omelchenko – the second candidate for the post of Ukrainian ambassador to the United States
Vadym Omelchenko – Ukrainian diplomat who since 2020 year has represented Ukraine as ambassador to France, and was also the permanent representative of Ukraine to UNESCO. In August 2026 year, the president dismissed him from these posts. Before his diplomatic career, Omelchenko worked in the public and analytical sectors, including heading the Horshenko Institute.
photo: Embassy of Ukraine in France
Recall that earlier President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a candidate for the new Ukrainian ambassador to the United States has already been identified. At the same time, the head of state did not publicly name him.
The president emphasized that Ukraine in Washington needs a strong communicator capable of maintaining the attention of the American political community to Ukraine.
Later, Zelensky said that he is considering several candidates and, before making a final decision, wants detailed information about the contenders. According to him, appointing an ambassador to Washington has acquired particular importance due to the negotiation process and Ukraine's need for American military support.
Before making the final personnel decision, the president expects to receive detailed information about the contenders from the SBU and NABU.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Стефанішина назвала двох кандидатів на посаду посла України у США". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ZmiOne.
