U.S. Chargé d’Affaires for  Ukraine  Kristina A. Kvien.  (Credit: ua.usembassy.gov)

By   Gary  Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

U.S. diplomats including the charge d’affaires for Ukraine Kristina Kvien returned to Kyiv Sunday for the first time since the Russian invasion. The group of American diplomats returned to the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv,  just one day ahead of  Russia’s Victory Day commemorations, when the Kremlin marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Ambassador Kvien spoke at a press conference upon her return saying Russian President Putin made a “historic miscalculation”  by invading Ukraine. 

“I am so happy to be back in Ukraine! This is my first trip back since Russia’s assault started on February 24. Today, it is clear that Putin has made a historic miscalculation in his unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine.  Two days before Russia launched its horrific attack on Ukraine, I stood here in this square and said that President Putin’s “flagrant disrespect for international laws and norms would be met by a forceful response from the United States, our allies and partners.  Today, nine weeks after the start of this unprovoked invasion I am proud to say that we have lived up to our word.”

-U.S. Chargé d’Affaires for  Ukraine  Kristina A. Kvien

U.S. charge d’affaires for Ukraine Kristina Kvien (left) and her diplomatic team returned to Kyiv Sunday May 8, 2022.  Ambassador Kvien speaks at a press conference in Kyiv after her return to the country. (Credit: ua.usembassy.gov) 

Ambassador Kvien said Putin has achieved the opposite of what he set out to do. “He sought to subjugate Ukraine, and instead, he showcased to the world Ukraine’s unity, resolve and bravery.”    Kvien reiterated the U.S. remains committed to Ukriane,  noting that just last week President Biden requested  an additional $33 billion in assistance for Ukraine.

“Ukrainians have shown the world what true heroism is—from the border guards at Snake Island who told a Russian warship what it could do to itself, to Azov regiment’s fearless defense of Mariupol, to President Zelenskyy and the entire Ukrainian government working throughout attacks on Kyiv while brave defenders defeated approaching Russian forces. The United States, NATO allies, and other countries have armed and supplied Ukraine at a speed and scale that is unprecedented. We have fortified the eastern flank of NATO with thousands of troops.”

-U.S. Chargé d’Affaires for  Ukraine  Kristina A. Kvien

Kvien arrived at U.S. Embassy Kyiv in May 2019.  From 2016 – April 2019, she served as Acting DCM/Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Paris.    

Previously, she served as Acting DCM and Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand; Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy London; and Director for European Union, Ukraine, and Belarus Affairs at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President.  Kvien  has also served at U.S. Embassy Moscow, Russia; the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium; and the U.S. Embassy Manila, Philippines.  At the Department of State in Washington, DC,   she  worked on European Union issues and on bilateral relations with Slovenia.  Kvien is a native of California, with a BA in Political Science from Occidental College and an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

U.S. Closed Embassy in Kyiv, relocated Diplomats to Western UKRAINE 

United States Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine

In early February 2022,   the United States closed the US Embassy in Kyiv and relocated diplomatic personnel in the country to the western Ukraine city of Lviv as fears of Russian invasion escalated.   U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the  embassy would remain engaged with the Ukrainian government, coordinating diplomatic engagement in Ukraine.