Dmytro Kuleba emerges as candidate for Ukraine's ambassador to the United States
Kuleba is under consideration to fill the post in Washington after Olha Stefanishyna's resignation; it is unclear if he will accept.
Ukraine's former foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has emerged as a possible candidate for the country's ambassador to the United States as Kyiv seeks to fill one of its most important diplomatic posts, officials familiar with the matter said.
Post remains vacant after recent resignation
The Washington ambassadorship has been vacant for several weeks after Olha Stefanishyna stepped down amid an ongoing investigation into corruption. The vacancy has created urgency inside the presidential administration to find a successor acceptable both in Kyiv and in Washington.
President Volodymyr Zelensky initially planned to send the recently dismissed prime minister Yuliia Sviridenko to Washington, but she refused the assignment, forcing the presidential administration to seek other candidates.
Kuleba has now been floated as a potential replacement, though it remains unclear whether he would be willing to accept the ambassadorial post. His name brings experience and visibility, but acceptance is not a given.
Ukrainian leadership has struggled for almost a month to appoint a new ambassador to the United States, with shortages of available personnel and the rejection of several candidates cited as obstacles to a swift nomination process.
In a separate personnel move, Zelensky has also removed Ukrainian ambassadors to Albania, Croatia and Montenegro, adding to a broader shake-up of the diplomatic corps.
Photo: press material from the event
