The US Chargé d'Affaires in Ukraine is set to step down amid differences with Trump
Julie Davis, the US Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine, is set to leave Kyiv in the coming weeks. This comes at a time when peace talks have reached an impasse and, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is preparing for a summer offensive, reports the Financial Times.
Davis has headed the US embassy in Kyiv as Chargé d’Affaires since May last year. Three people familiar with her decision said the diplomat was disillusioned with her role amid disagreements with President Donald Trump over cutting support for Ukraine.
Her departure follows that of her predecessor, Bridget Brink, who left her post in April last year for similar reasons.
According to sources, Davis has already informed the State Department of her intention to leave and plans to end her diplomatic service after a three-decade career.
Meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott dismissed as false claims that Davis is leaving due to disagreements with Trump. He said she had supported the Trump administration’s efforts to achieve a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine and would continue to implement the president’s policy until her official departure from Kyiv in June 2026.
This is not the first time the US Embassy in Kyiv has faced difficulties retaining ambassadors during Trump’s presidency. In 2019, he recalled Marie Yovanovitch, then the US Ambassador to Ukraine. She subsequently became a key witness during the hearings in Trump’s first impeachment trial.
Bridget Brink, who supported military aid to Ukraine, stated after her dismissal that she had opposed the White House’s pressure on Kyiv against the backdrop of a softer stance towards Moscow. One of the reasons for her decision was the clash between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office in February 2025, following which the US suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv for several weeks.
During Trump’s second term, the White House largely sidelined the State Department from key foreign policy processes. For important negotiations, particularly regarding ending the war in Ukraine, the president relied on a small circle of allies, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Peace talks stalled due to Russia’s stance and the US war against Iran. Ukrainian intelligence sources told the FT this month that Moscow plans to continue the war and launch a new offensive in the summer.
In December, the administration recalled dozens of US ambassadors around the world, seeking to ensure that diplomatic missions aligned with Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda. According to the American Foreign Service Association, only 8% of Trump’s nominees for ambassadorial posts are career diplomats, whereas during his first term this figure stood at 57%.
A number of US embassies around the world still do not have ambassadors confirmed by the Senate, including in Ukraine and many countries in the Middle East.
Former US Ambassador to Poland Daniel Fried described Davis as a professional diplomat and civil servant. Senator Jean Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised her effective leadership of the crisis mission and stressed that such important posts as the one in Kyiv should not be managed through stopgap measures.
