Zelenskiy Spoke With Trump About Replacing Ukraine’s Envoy To US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed replacing the current ambassador to the US during his phone call with President Donald Trump on Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is on the list of potential candidates to become Kyiv’s envoy to Washington alongside Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Energy Minister German Galushchenko, the person said speaking on condition of anonymity as the talks are private.

The replacement of the current envoy Oksana Markarova comes at a delicate moment in Ukraine’s relations with the US. Trump administration last week halted the transfer of artillery rounds and air defense to Ukraine, a move that took Zelenskiy’s government and allies off guard. 

The US president’s attempts to broker peace in talks with Moscow have also failed to end the war, which is currently into its fourth year. Meanwhile, Russia has been pounding Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with the record number of drones and missiles.  

Zelenskiy has instructed his Foreign Ministry to discuss the appointment of Ukraine’s next ambassador with the US side, the person said.