A secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv was followed by an announcement by the White House on Monday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a press conference at an unknown location near the Polish-Ukrainian border, where they met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Blinken told reporters he shared with Zelensky that the United States is committed to assisting Ukraine in its military conflict with Russia, including President Biden's intent to nominate a new ambassador to Ukraine, Ambassador Bridget Brink. ALSO READ: UN chief to visit Turkey before having talks in Russia, Ukraine.
In August 2019, Brink, a Michigan native, was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as the US ambassador to Slovakia, a deep experience in the region, who'll be a strong representative for the United States in Ukraine. The United States has been without a Senate-confirmed ambassador to Ukraine since May 2019 when Trump recalled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch over claims that she was undermining the former president's efforts to press Ukraine to investigate the Biden family's business ties with the country.
Blinken said that US diplomats who left Ukraine due to the war will return to the country next week and begin the process of looking at how we actually reopen the US embassy in Kiev, which ceased operations in the lead-up to Russia's military operation in Ukraine.