Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 20, 2022. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha]
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
WASHINGTON DC – The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed veteran diplomat Bridget A. Brink to serve as President Biden’s Ambassador to Ukraine. The American diplomatic post had remained vacant since 2019, when former President Donald Trump removed Marie Yovanovitch from her role. Brink, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, last served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic. Prior to that, she served as Senior Advisor and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, with responsibility for issues related to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. The State Department said Ambassador Brink will lead America’s diplomatic mission in Ukraine “with dedication and distinction.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ambassador Brink is an “outstanding veteran diplomat.”
After a meeting with Brink at the Department of State last week following her confirmation to the new post, Blinken said:
“Her experience and understanding of the region will be a tremendous asset to the U.S.-Ukraine relationship during this unprecedented time. We stand united with Ukraine.”
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 20, 2022. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha]
Brink served as the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia from 2011 to 2014, then in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for a year. President Trump nominated Brink as ambassador to Slovakia in 2019, which the Senate confirmed to the post. At her swearing in as Ambassador in Slovakia on August 15, 2019, Brink spoke of NATO as a pillar of Transatlantic security:
“The Transatlantic bond runs through my entire personal and professional life. I remember clearly as a student in London that day in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell. Soon after, the Velvet Revolution began and led to the formation of the Slovak Republic. In the three decades since, the United States has been proud to support Slovakia’s transition to a NATO Ally. Slovakia plays an important role in ensuring that NATO remains the lynchpin of Transatlantic security and prosperity. Its location on NATO’s Eastern Flank make it an indispensable piece of our collective defense.”
-Ambassador Brink Aug. 15, 2019
Originally from Michigan, Brink holds Master’s degrees in International Relations and Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Kenyon College. She speaks Russian and has studied Slovak, Serbian, Georgian, and French.
U.S. Embassy in Kyiv Reopens After 3 Months of War
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)
The American flag was raised at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv last week as the diplomatic compound reopened since being shuttered in February ahead of Russian forces coming across Ukraine’s border launching its invasion. Diplomats including the charge d’affaires for Ukraine Kristina Kvien returned to Kyiv for the first time since the Russian invasion.
“Three months ago, we lowered our flag over the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, just days before Russian forces streamed across Ukraine’s border to carry out President Putin’s unprovoked, unjustified war of choice. When we suspended operations at the embassy, we made the point clear: while we would relocate U.S. embassy personnel for their safety and security, this would in no way prevent our engagement with, and support for, the Ukrainian people, government, and civil society as well as our allies and partners. We underscored our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, pledged to continue our assistance, and started working toward the day we could return to Kyiv. Now, that day has come. Today we are officially resuming operations at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. The Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of Russia’s unconscionable invasion, and, as a result, the Stars and Stripes are flying over the Embassy once again.”
-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
