New chargé d’affaires at U.S. Embassy
Kristina Kvien, deputy chief of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Ukraine, has been appointed as the interim charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. In a video posted on Facebook on January 2, Ms. Kvien said that the U.S. “policy of strong support for Ukraine remains steady.” She noted: “Our Embassy team will continue to partner closely with the Ukrainian government and civil society and support Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and support reforms that will help Ukraine build its prosperous European future.” Ms. Kvien replaced William Taylor, who stepped aside earlier on January 2 after serving in the post since May 18, 2019. Ambassador Taylor said good-bye to Ukrainians in a video statement on December 31, saying he was “very optimistic” about Ukraine’s future.