KYIV – Olha Stefanishyna has held three prominent jobs under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the past six years, most recently as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. Ahead of renewed U.S. diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, Ms. Stefanishyna resigned in early August after serving less than a year in Washington. Her departure [...] The post Ex-envoy Stefanishyna sheds light on U.S.-Ukraine diplomacy amid corruption probe appeared first on The Ukrainian Weekly.

KYIV -- Olha Stefanishyna has held three prominent jobs under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the past six years, most recently as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States. Ahead of renewed US diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war on Ukraine, Stefanishyna resigned in early August after serving less than a year in Washington. Her departure came just days before Ukraine's main anti-graft agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), formally notified her that she was suspected of illegal enrichment and failure to declare assets. With Zelenskyy yet to appoint a new ambassador to the United States, Stefanishyna, in an interview with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, discussed her decision to resign and the dynamics between Kyiv and Washington amid Russia's full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year. 'Russia's Narrative Has Not Changed' RFE/RL: We are speaking shortly after [US President Donald Trump's] representatives [Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner] visited Ukraine.... [Witkoff] has been to Moscow many times; this time they were in Kyiv for the first time. I assume you also worked on this visit when you were ambassador, because it was postponed for several months. How do you assess this visit in the short-term perspective? Olha...

Olha Stefanishyna has served in three key government positions in Ukraine over the past six years, most recently as ambassador to the United States. In an interview with RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, she discusses US-Ukraine ties and her decision to resign days before a corruption probe.

Ukraine has just lost almost a year in Washington that it could not have afforded to lose. Olha Stefanishyna arrived and departed as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States within that year. Her departure came amid renewed scrutiny from Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities over allegations of illicit enrichment and false asset declarations, which she denies. Yet the reputational risk was not unforeseeable. Questions surrounding Stefanishyna and corruption investigations were already part of the public discussion before her appointment. During critical months for Ukraine, rumors fueled an uncomfortable discussion about corruption in Kyiv and gave ammunition to those seeking to undermine U.S. support to Kyiv. This is not an argument about Stefanishyna personally. She worked during an extraordinarily difficult period in U.S.-Ukraine relations and maintained important relationships in Washington. The larger question is what kind of ambassador Ukraine needs today, and how much credibility and trust matter in strengthening the U.S.-Ukraine relationship. I learned the difference between title and credibility long before Ukraine was at war. When I arrived in Washington in 2001, Leonid Kuchma was president, Kostyantyn Hryshchenko was Ukraine's ambassador, and Kyiv-Washington relations were deeply strained. Ukraine was grappling with corruption, political assassinations, democratic backsliding, attacks on press freedom, and...

Ukraine has just lost almost a year in Washington that it could not have afforded to lose. Olha Stefanishyna arrived and departed as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States within that year. Her de...

Ukraine has just lost almost a year in Washington that it could not have afforded to lose. Olha Stefanishyna arrived and departed as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States within that year. Her departure came amid renewed scrutiny from Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities over allegations of illicit enrichment and false asset declarations, which she denies. Yet the reputational risk was not unforeseeable. Questions surrounding Stefanishyna and corruption investigations were already part of

Ukraine has just lost almost a year in Washington that it could not have afforded to lose. Olha Stefanishyna arrived and departed as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States within that year. Her de...

Ukraine has just lost almost a year in Washington that it could not have afforded to lose. Olha Stefanishyna arrived and departed as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States within that year. Her departure came amid renewed scrutiny from Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities over allegations of illicit enrichment and false asset declarations, which she denies. Yet the reputational risk was not unforeseeable. Questions surrounding Stefanishyna and corruption investigations were already part of

Präsident Selenskyj hat wegen Korruptionsvorwürfen gleich zwei politische Figuren verloren, die für die Ukraine international eine große Rolle spielten. Olha Stefanischyna ist ebenso wenig ohne Weiter...

Ukraine has just lost almost a year in Washington that it could not have afforded to lose. Olha Stefanishyna arrived and departed as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States within that year. Her de...

Former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba may become Ukraine's next ambassador to Washington, as Kyiv looks to fill one of its most important diplomatic posts, people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. The position has been vacant for several weeks after Olha Stefanishyna stepped down amid an ongoing corruption investigation. President Volodymyr Zelensky had initially planned to send recently dismissed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko to Washington, but she declined the offer, forc

Former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba may become Ukraine's next ambassador to Washington, as Kyiv looks to fill one of its most important diplomatic posts, people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. The position has been vacant for several weeks after Olha Stefanishyna stepped down amid an ongoing corruption investigation. President Volodymyr Zelensky had initially planned to send recently dismissed Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko to Washington, but she declined the offer, forc

The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) upheld the preventive measure imposed on former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European Integration Olha Stefanishyna, according to the HACC’s press service.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a problem: Nobody wants the hardest job in Washington. The Ukrainian president is struggling to find someone of sufficient influence to represent Kyiv to the Trump administration, with prospective candidates proving reluctant to take on the grueling assignment at a critical moment in the war, according to two former senior Ukrainian officials and four lawmakers. The need to replace the previous envoy, Olga Stefanishyna, helped trigger Zelenskyy’s still-incomplete government reshuffle. Stefanishyna was formally dismissed on Aug. 3 over impending embezzlement charges. Zelenskyy moved his reshuffle plans forward so he could offer the ambassadorship to Yulia Svyrydenko, the outgoing prime minister, according to a former senior Ukrainian official and a Republican foreign expert familiar with the background to the shake-up. But she declined, disrupting his plans. “It is no secret that I counted on and offered Yulia Svyrydenko the post of ambassador to the United States,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference in late July. He added that he was looking for a candidate with the highest possible qualifications: “a person at the level of a deputy prime minister, minister, or prime minister.” Since then, however, other prospective candidates have proved equally reluctant, spurning what would in any...

France, Germany, and the UK are collaborating on a joint format for Ukraine peace negotiations, concerned that Donald Trump’s administration might sideline them. European diplomats emphasized that the war’s outcome is too critical to European security to rely solely on the US. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky is struggling to appoint a new ambassador to Washington following the dismissal of Olga Stefanishyna.

🇺🇦🇺🇸 Zelensky can't find a candidate for Ukraine's ambassador to the US, - Politico After the dismissal of Stefanishyna, Kyiv has faced difficulties in finding her successor in Washington. Initially,...

🇺🇦🇺🇸 Zelensky can't find a candidate for Ukraine's ambassador to the US, - Politico After the dismissal of Stefanishyna, Kyiv has faced difficulties in finding her successor in Washington. Initially,...

Ilyashev & Partners Law Firm says the bail set by the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has been posted for former deputy prime minister for European integration and former ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna, who is suspected of illicit enrichment.

Die Anwaltskanzlei „Ilyashev & Partner“ hat im Verfahren wegen unrechtmäßiger Bereicherung eine Kaution in Höhe von 6 Millionen Hrywnja für die ehemalige Botschafterin Olga Stefanishyna hinterlegt.