U.S. ambassador to Ukraine to step down amid stalled talks to end Ukraine war

A woman with a dog walks among the rubble of a house damaged after a Russian strike on residential area in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

WASHINGTON -- The acting U.S. ambassador to Kyiv Julie Davis will step down from her post and retire, a U.S. official and the State Department said on Tuesday, amid a lull in U.S.-brokered talks to achieve a ceasefire and end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Financial Times first reported Davis’ departure and said it was because of differences of opinion with U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies and that Davis had grown frustrated with her role over his dwindling support for Ukraine.

The State Department pushed back on that characterization, saying it was “false” to say she was leaving over differences with Trump.

“Ambassador Davis has been a steadfast proponent of the Trump Administration’s efforts to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine,” Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

“She will continue to proudly advance President Trump’s policies until she officially departs Kyiv in June 2026 and retires from the Department,” Pigott added.

A career member of the U.S. Foreign Service with more than three decades of experience, Davis assumed her duties as charge d’affaires in Ukraine in May 2025 after her predecessor Bridget Brink, also a career diplomat, resigned over her objections to Trump’s Ukraine policy.

Since assuming office in January 2025, Trump has assigned blame to Ukraine for Russia’s invasion of the country more than four years ago and has had a tumultuous relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Republican president has also pushed hard but so far has failed to bring the war to an end through ceasefire talks which have now largely stalled as Washington has concentrated its focus on the Iran war. Trump has adopted a far more friendly approach towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Davis had also been serving as the U.S. ambassador to Cyprus since 2023 and continued a dual role during her time in Kyiv.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Jasper Ward; Editing by Lincoln Feast)