Sibyha denied linking the ambassador appointment to the US elections

Finding a new ambassador of Ukraine to the United States has turned out to be a challenging task: several candidates who were offered the position declined. At present, the question remains open, and the final decision is to be made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This was disclosed by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia in an interview with Ukrainian Radio, reports European Pravda.

According to the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when selecting a candidate they primarily consider his personal stature and professional qualities. He also emphasized that the appointment of an ambassador is in no way connected to the U.S. elections.

"It is a very difficult task to find a worthy candidate for the position of ambassador of Ukraine to the United States. The president has already spoken about this publicly. Several people, truly strong candidates to whom this position was offered, declined. So for now this issue remains open, and the president is determining," Deshchytsia noted.

At the same time, the minister assured that the absence of a permanent ambassador does not affect the work of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission in the United States. It is currently led by an chargé d’affaires ad interim, and a professional team works at the embassy.

In addition, Ukraine has several general consulates on U.S. territory and plans to strengthen their staff.

Earlier Zelenskyy stated that among the candidates for ambassador discussed were Prime Minister Yulia Svyridenko, former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Deputy Head of the President's Office Pavlo Palis. The latter declined the proposal.

As a reminder, 3 August 2026 Zelenskyy dismissed Olga Stefanishyna from the post of Ukraine's ambassador to the United States. Since then, the position has remained vacant.