State Department confirms resignation of US Ambassador to Ukraine
Photo: Bridget Brink, US Ambassador to Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Bridget Brink is stepping down from her position as the United States Ambassador to Ukraine. This information was confirmed by the US Department of State, according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
"She is returning home. Yes," Bruce said.
When asked whether Brink had been pressured or instructed not to mention Russia in the context of attacks on Ukraine, the spokesperson responded that she was not aware of any such directives.
It’s worth noting that the question likely referred to Brink’s comment on social platform X about the attack on Kryvyi Rih, where she did not specify that the missile was Russian.
A State Department official told CNN that Brink's resignation as ambassador to Ukraine was due to her long stay in the war zone.
"She’s been the ambassador there (in Ukraine - ed.) for three years – that’s a long time in a war zone," he said.
He added that "the war has gone on for far too long."
"The real issue is whether the Russians and Ukrainians are ready to do what’s necessary to end this war," the official noted.
Brink’s resignation
Earlier today, CBS News reported that US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink plans to step down early from her position.
According to sources cited by the outlet, Brink has not yet submitted formal resignation papers but has already made “farewell calls” to colleagues.
A senior US official told CBS that her resignation is an "unusual mix of personal and policy concerns," including recent dismissals at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). One factor is that Brink has been working in Kyiv without her family.
Despite this, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly wanted Brink to remain in her post and rejected her initial resignation request, which she submitted in January as part of the routine personnel rotation between administrations.
Bridget Brink, reacting to the missile attack on Kryvyi Rih on social network X, did not even mention Russia's involvement in the attack. She described the attack only as another reason why the war must end.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said Brink’s response was “surprisingly disappointing", calling it weak.
The following day, Brink issued a second statement, this time explicitly blaming Russia for the attack on Kryvyi Rih.
