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Bridget Brink, the US ambassador to Ukraine, is stepping down following increasing policy disagreements with President Donald Trump’s administration, according to people familiar with her decision.
Her departure also comes amid a deterioration in her working relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, although this was not the reason for her relinquishing the role, the people said.
Brink is a career diplomat who was appointed by Trump during his first term to serve as US ambassador to Slovakia. She was later appointed as ambassador to Ukraine by President Joe Biden.
People familiar with Brink’s decision to step down said she had come under increasing pressure from senior figures in the Trump administration who had questioned her willingness to support their Ukraine strategy.
Trump’s policy on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has torn up much of the work of Biden, who backed Kyiv with billions of dollars of military and financial assistance and imposed sanctions on Moscow.
Trump is pressing for a rapid end to the war, and has sought to normalise US relations with Russia through direct talks with President Vladimir Putin, and has called Zelenskyy a “dictator”.
A State department spokesperson said: “Ambassador Brink is stepping down. She’s been the ambassador there for three years — that’s a long time in a war zone.” Brink could not be immediately reached for comment.
Tensions between Brink and Zelenskyy have been evident recently. He issued a statement critical of the ambassador last week after a Russian missile attack on his hometown of Kryvyi Rih that killed 20 people, including nine children.
Following the attack, Brink wrote on X: “Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih. More than 50 people injured and 16 killed, including 6 children. This is why the war must end.”
Zelenskyy noted the absence of any direct attribution of blame for the attack by Brink, and said on Telegram: “Unfortunately, the reaction of the American Embassy is unpleasantly surprising: such a strong country, such a strong people — and such a weak reaction. Also, they are afraid to say the word ‘Russian’ when talking about the missile that killed children.”
Brink used her most recent post on X on Wednesday to make clear who was responsible for the attack.
“Today I paid my respects to the families & loved ones of those killed . . . in a Russian cluster missile attack in Kryvyi Rih on April 4,” she wrote.
Western diplomats in Kyiv said Brink had been a crucial advocate for Kyiv in public and private since the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
One described her as a “strong character” and “serious diplomat”, but the pressure from Trump’s and Zelenskyy’s offices had taken a toll.
Ukrainian officials said they saw Brink as being too critical of them, particularly on the country’s efforts to root out entrenched corruption.
The officials pointed to a noticeable shift in her messaging recently, which they viewed as being more in line with Trump’s and increasingly critical of Ukraine.
After a row between Trump and Zelenskyy in the White House in February, Brink took to social media to support the US president.
An FT review of Brink’s posts on X before and after Trump took office on January 20 showed a clear shift in her public statements, particularly in relation to Russia.
In the 75 days prior to Trump’s inauguration, she posted critically of Russia and the war in Ukraine 53 times. In the 75 days after, she posted just five times with mentions of Russia, none of which placed blame on the country for its attacks.
Additional reporting by Steff Chávez in Washington
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