WASHINGTON — It is a puzzle at the heart of the crisis over Russia’s threat to invade Ukraine: Why has President Biden, more than one year into his presidency, failed to name an ambassador to Kyiv?Neither the Biden administration nor Ukraine’s government is providing a clear explanation for a delay that career diplomats say would be baffling and inexcusable even in ordinary times, never mind at a moment when the U.S. relationship with Ukraine is as consequential as it has ever been.Experts say that the presence of a full-time ambassador could help to smooth awkward relations that have emerged between the Biden administration and the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky despite Ukraine’s heavy reliance on Washington for its defense against Russia. But it is also unclear how eager the Ukrainians are to receive an envoy from Mr. Biden, who submitted a candidate to Kyiv for approval weeks ago.The position comes with an extra dose of intrigue, given that it has remained empty since 2019, when President Donald J. Trump removed its last full-time occupant, Marie L. Yovanovitch. That action, which is the subject of a federal investigation, contributed to Mr. Trump’s first impeachment by Congress on charges that he abused his foreign policy leverage over Ukraine for political purposes.U.S. officials do not dispute reports, which emerged two months ago, that Mr. Biden intends to nominate a career diplomat, Bridget Brink, the current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia. The United States sent Ms. Brink’s name to Ukraine’s government last month for customary review and approval by the host government, in a diplomatic custom known by the French term agrément, and Biden officials are eager for Kyiv’s clearance so they can submit her to the Senate for confirmation. During a visit to Kyiv on Jan. 19, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he “would anticipate that a nomination will be forthcoming very shortly.”It is unclear why Ukraine’s government has not signed off on Ms. Brink. While it is not unusual for a host government to spend a few weeks vetting a potential ambassador, the timeline is frequently shorter, and diplomats say they would expect Ukraine to welcome more high-level American attention.Representatives of Ukraine’s foreign ministry and its embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to requests for comment. Last week, the 112 Ukraine television channel reported that the country’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, had confirmed that his government was considering her candidacy.If Russia begins a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that threatens Kyiv, of course, it is possible that U.S. embassy personnel would be evacuated from the country, leaving any new ambassador without a safe destination — and potentially fueling regrets that one had not been installed months earlier.In place of a senior diplomat in Kyiv with Mr. Biden’s seal of approval, the American embassy is run by its chargé d’affaires, Christina Quinn. Diplomatic veterans said Ms. Quinn is highly regarded within the Foreign Service and in Ukraine. But she by definition lacks the stature of a White House-appointed and Senate-confirmed emissary.“It’s a perception problem,” said Steven Pifer, a U.S. ambassador to Kyiv during the Clinton administration who praised Ms. Quinn’s performance. “The Ukrainians are wondering, ‘Why is there no American ambassador here?’”ImageBiden officials are eager to move forward with the nomination of Bridget Brink, the current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia.Credit...Aziz Karimov/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty ImagesHaving an ambassador in place would help the two capitals coordinate their views and public messages, said Eric Rubin, the president of the American Foreign Service Association, the union and professional group that represents U.S. diplomats.In recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly diverged from or contradicted key U.S. talking points. Mindful of the need to avoid panic, for instance, they have disputed Washington’s dire warnings that a full-scale invasion could be “imminent,” leading Biden officials to temporarily agree to stop using that word before escalating their warnings again on Friday.“The absence of not just a U.S. ambassador to Ukraine but even a nominee to be ambassador to Ukraine at a time of crisis is worrisome and regrettable,” said Mr. Rubin, who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv in the 1990s.In general, Mr. Rubin said, “not sending an ambassador to a country can be taken as a signal that we don’t care.”Mr. Biden has yet to nominate ambassadors to more than two dozen countries, but few if any are as significant as Ukraine, and diplomats and experts say they are mystified as to why he took so long to decide on a putative nominee. Administration officials have declined toBy: Michael Crowley
Title: Puzzle in Ukraine Crisis: Where’s the U.S. Ambassador?
Sourced From: www.nytimes.com/2022/02/11/us/politics/ukraine-ambassador-biden.html
Published Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2022 23:55:51 +0000
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