Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, has resigned amid escalating political differences with President Donald Trump's administration, according to sources familiar with her decision.
Source: Financial Times
FT reports that Brink faced increasing pressure from senior officials in the Trump administration who questioned her willingness to support the White House's new strategy towards Ukraine.
Trump's policy significantly diverges from that of his predecessor, Joe Biden, who provided billions of dollars in military and financial aid to Kyiv and imposed sanctions on Russia.
"Ambassador Brink is stepping down. She has served in this role for three years – a considerable time in a conflict zone," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Tami Bruce.
Western diplomats in Kyiv described Brink as a crucial advocate for Ukraine both publicly and privately since the early weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. One diplomat referred to her as a "strong personality" and a "serious diplomat," adding that the pressure from both the Trump and Zelensky administrations adversely affected her.
Ukrainian officials perceived Brink as overly critical of them, particularly regarding the country's anti-corruption efforts.
Officials noted noticeable changes in her messaging recently, which they believed aligned more closely with Trump's stance and became increasingly critical of Ukraine.
An analysis of Brink's social media posts conducted by the Financial Times revealed significant shifts in her rhetoric following Trump's inauguration on January 20. In the 75 days preceding the new president's inauguration, she criticized Russia and the war in Ukraine 53 times, whereas in the 75 days following, she mentioned Russia only five times, none of which assigned blame for military actions.
Background:
Several media outlets previously reported on the potential resignation of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
Later, the U.S. State Department confirmed Bridget Brink's resignation, explaining it as the conclusion of her three-year term amidst war conditions.
Recently, Brink faced criticism from Volodymyr Zelensky after she failed to mention Russia in her post about the Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih on April 4.