Second US Ambassador to Ukraine to Leave Post in One-Year Span

The United States will soon be searching for its third ambassador to Ukraine in just the past year.

Julie Davis, who has served as acting ambassador at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv since May 5, 2025, is reportedly leaving her post in coming weeks and has already notified the State Department, according to the Financial Times. Davis stepped into the role after her predecessor, Bridget Brink, resigned roughly one year ago after three years in the same role.

The decisions made by Brink and now Davis are reportedly directly related to the United States’ diminished support of Ukraine, notably that of President Donald Trump and his administration. The State Department, however, disagreed with the characterization of Davis’ impending departure.

State department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told the Times that it was “false” to suggest that Davis—who is also the ambassador to Cyprus—is leaving due to differences with Trump.

“Ambassador Davis has been a steadfast proponent of the Trump administration’s efforts to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine,” Pigott said in a statement, adding that she “will proudly advance President Trump’s policies until she officially departs Kyiv in June 2026 and retires.”

Credit: Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP

The shakeup comes as the Russia-Ukraine war surpassed the four-year mark in February, with both sides holding their own in Eastern Europe. Casualties continue, causing leaders of both nations to recruit more soldiers that even include college-aged men.

U.S. aid to Ukraine has diminished since 2022, with the Trump administration sending special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, to negotiate some type of peace deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That has not transpired.

Trump Administration Has ‘Taken Pressure Off Russia’

The timing of Davis’ upcoming departure coincides with U.S. involvement in Iran surpassing the two-month mark.

Hilary Appel, director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna College, told Military.com that the Trump administration has turned its attention away from Eastern Europe to focus on its mission in the Middle East.

“This has taken the pressure off Russia in two ways,” Appel said. “First, Putin is facing less pressure from this administration to negotiate a peace settlement since Trump’s envoys are busy working on opening the Strait of Hormuz.

“Second, the high price of oil resulting from the war in Iran has provided much-needed relief for the Russian economy, which faced an economic contraction and budgetary exhaustion in 2025.”

The national per-gallon cost of gas in the United States on May 1 was $4.39. The Strait of Hormuz has become more widely known in recent weeks for being a global oil chokepoint, becoming one of Iran’s best strategic defenses against U.S. military onslaught.

Credit: AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

There are disagreements within the Trump administration on how to help Ukraine without using more U.S. taxpayer-supported dollars, Appel said. Even so, she said the U.S. can do more to support the invaded nation than just sell weapons to other European allies—which in turn sell to Ukraine.

“Funding Ukraine’s defense using American taxpayers’ money is not acceptable to the current administration, even if it is allowing American weapons to be used to defend against Russian attacks,” she said.

Prior to being ambassador to Cyprus, Davis served as special envoy for Belarus and based in Vilnius, Lithuania. She has a 30-year U.S. State Department history that includes multiple Eastern European tours.

Brink is now running for a U.S. House seat as a Democrat in Michigan. She has openly criticized the Trump administration for alleged corruption and kowtowing to Putin.