Biden Under Fire for Failing To Nominate Ukraine Ambassador as Russian Invasion Looms

President Joe Biden’s failure to nominate an ambassador to Ukraine more than a year into his presidency is raising concerns among U.S. officials and regional experts as Russia moves closer to launching a full-scale invasion.

“President Biden has undermined the U.S.-Ukraine relationship by failing to even nominate an ambassador to Ukraine—it is a dereliction of duty and contributes to the instability we’re seeing unfold today,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Ala.), ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, told the Washington Free Beacon.

Currently, the United States only has a deputy chief of mission in Kyiv, career foreign service officer Alan Purcell, who was appointed in May 2021. Without an ambassador, the Biden administration has conducted the majority of its diplomacy from Washington, D.C., causing confusion as the stand-off with Russia escalates. Biden said last week a “minor incursion” by Russia would likely be tolerated. This prompted fierce pushback from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who responded in a tweet saying, “There are no minor incursions.”

Regional experts say diplomacy through social media is not helping the tense situation. A qualified American ambassador would have been able to reassure Zelensky in person and prevent a public disagreement with the White House that many saw as a boon for Russia. – READ MORE