Acting US Ambassador in Ukraine to Retire in June

Acting U.S. Ambassador in Ukraine Julie Davis will leave her post in June and retire after three decades as a foreign service officer, the State Department said on April 29.

“She will continue to proudly advance President [Donald] Trump’s policies until she officially departs Kyiv in June 2026 and retires from the Department,” State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott told The Epoch Times in an email.

He said Davis has been a “steadfast proponent” of Trump’s efforts to reach a “durable peace” between Russia and Ukraine, who have failed to reach a resolution after more than four years of fighting.

Davis is leaving her post in Kyiv a little more than a year after arriving from Cyprus, where she had served as ambassador since 2023. Her 30-year career with the State Department has included multiple tours in Eastern Europe, and service as a special envoy in Belarus.

Davis took over for Ambassador Bridget Brink, who resigned in April 2025 to protest the Trump administration’s foreign policy, saying the president favored Russia over Ukraine during negotiations over ending the conflict.

Brink, who is currently running as a Democratic Party candidate for the U.S. House in Michigan, said she believes Davis quit for the same reasons.

“I resigned as U.S. Ambassador [of] Ukraine when Trump kept siding with Putin over our democratic partner. Now, my successor is doing the same,” Brink posted on X April 29. “I knew I had to speak out and run for office because siding with dictators is just not who we are.”

The State Department denied the allegations.

“It is false to suggest Ambassador Davis is resigning ‘over differences with Donald Trump,’” Pigott said. “Ambassador Davis has been a steadfast proponent of the Trump Administration’s efforts to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine.”

Peace negotiations between the two nations remain stalled despite attempts by the Trump administration to help negotiate a plan.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a plan for additional drone strikes on April 29, in expectation that Ukrainian operations on the frontlines would continue.

The United States also allocated $100 million in foreign assistance funding for repairs of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is being decommissioned, in Ukraine.

The site was damaged by a Russian strike on Feb. 14, 2025, according to Zelenskyy.

“The confinement, shielding the remains of the Chernobyl plant, protects everyone from radiation threats,” Zelenskyy posted on X. “It was built through the efforts of an international coalition, and its restoration now requires more than $500 million.”

The U.S. contribution is one-fifth of the total cost of the repair. Without repairs, the plant could leak highly radioactive material into Europe, according to the State Department. The U.S. urged G7 and European partners to follow up with funding a percentage of the repairs.