U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Ad Interim Makes Day Trip To Kyiv- Which Becomes Overnight. A Reported Twenty Ambassadors Have Returned Permanently.

Kristina Kvien, Chargé d’affaires Ad interim, of the United States Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, arrived on 8 May 2022 for what was initially described as a day-trip. However, Ms. Kvien has remained in Kyiv as of 9 May 2022 according to the United States Department of State.

On 2 May 2022, Ms. Kvien visited Lviv, Ukraine, her first reported visit to Ukraine since prior to 24 February 2022 when the armed forces of the Russian Federation commenced its attack upon Ukraine. The United States Embassy in Ukraine ceased operation on 14 February 2022.  On 2 May 2022, Ms. Kvien reported that representatives of the United States Department of State have recently been making “day trips” to Kyiv which would continue during the next weeks prior to returning on a permanent basis.

On 23 April 2022, Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, reported during a video address that twenty-one (21) embassies are re-opening in Kyiv and some embassies which remained operational (Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See (the Vatican), Estonia, Georgia, Poland among others) are welcoming back ambassadors. Ambassadors to Ukraine from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, European Union, France, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, and United Kingdom have returned or are returning to their respective embassies. Prior to 24 February 2022, Kyiv hosted approximately fifty-eight (58) embassies.

Background

Since 1 January 2020, a career foreign service officer, Kristina Kvien has served as Chargé d'affaires (person in charge of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country) Ad interim (for the time being) at the United States Embassy in Kyiv.  Ms. Kvien arrived at the United States Embassy in Kyiv on 28 May 2019.      

The last United States Ambassador to Ukraine was Marie Yovanovitch (18 May 2016 to 20 May 2019), a career foreign service officer, appointed during the Obama-Biden Administration (2009-2017) and relieved during the Trump-Pence Administration (2017-2021).  Previously, Geoffrey Pyatt (15 August 2013 to 18 August 2016), a career foreign service officer, served as United States Ambassador to Ukraine.  

Since 2013, there have been five individuals appointed as Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States: Olexander Motsyk (June 2010 to April 2015), Yaroslav Brisiuck (25 July 2015 to 10 July 2015), Valeriy Chaly (10 July 2015 to 19 July 2019), Volodymyr Yelchenko (19 December 2019 to 25 February 2021), and Oksana Markarova (25 February 2021- Present).  

Kvien Biography 

“From 2016 – April 2019, she served as Acting DCM/Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Paris.  Previously, Kristina served as Acting DCM and Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand; Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy London; and Director for European Union, Ukraine, and Belarus Affairs at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President.  Kristina has also served at U.S. Embassy Moscow, Russia; the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium; and the U.S. Embassy Manila, Philippines.  At the Department of State in Washington, DC, Kristina worked on European Union issues and on bilateral relations with Slovenia.  Kristina is a native of California, with a BA in Political Science from Occidental College and an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.” 

Since 15 March 2022, four presidents, eight prime ministers, one chancellor, two deputy prime minister, eight foreign ministers, one secretary of state, one secretary of defense, president of European Commission (EC), president of the European Council (EC), president of European Parliament (EP), speaker of the United States House of Representatives, a first lady, have visited Ukraine. Members of the United States Congress and members of Parliaments have also visited Ukraine. 

• 8 May 2022 (Kyiv)- Anniken Huitfeldt, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway

• 8 May 2022 (Kyiv)- Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister; Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Larisa Galadza, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine

• 8 May 2022 (Uzhhorod)- Dr. Jill Biden, Ph.D., First Lady of the United States, wife of Joseph Biden, 46th President of the United States

• 6 May 2022 (Kyiv)- Eva-Maria Liimets, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia; Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia; Gabrielius Landsbergis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania

  30 April 2022 (Kyiv)- Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives accompanied by Democratic Party Representatives Gregory Meeks, Representative Adam Schiff, Representative James McGovern, Representative Jason Crow, Representative Barbara Lee, Representative William Keating

• 28 April 2022 (Kyiv)- Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the 193-member United Nations

• 24 April 2022 (Kyiv)- Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State (NATO), and Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense

• 21 April 2022 (Kyiv)- Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain (EU, NATO); Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Kingdom Denmark (EU, NATO)

• 20 April 2022 (Kyiv)- Charles Michel, President of the European Council (EC)

• 13 April 2022 (Kyiv)- President of Republic of Estonia, Alar Karis (EU, NATO); President of Republic of Latvia, Egils Levits (EU, NATO); President of Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda (EU, NATO); President of Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda (EU, NATO)

• 10 April 2022 (Kyiv)- Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Boris Johnson (NATO)

• 9 April 2022 (Kyiv)- Chancellor of Republic of Austria, Karl Nehammer (EU)

• 7 April 2022 (Kyiv)- President of the Brussels, Belgium-based European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen; High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the EC, Josep Borrell Fontelles; Prime Minister of Slovak Republic, Eduard Heger (EU, NATO)

• 3 April 2022 (Odesa)- Minister Of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Nikoloas Dendias (EU, NATO)

• 1 April 2022 (Kyiv)- President of the Strasbourg, France-based European Parliament (EP), Roberta Metsola

• 17 March 2022 (Lviv)- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu (NATO)

• 15 March 2022 (Kyiv)- Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Petr Fiala (EU, NATO); Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki (EU, NATO); Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Jansa (EU, NATO); Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, Jaroslaw Kaczynski (EU, NATO)  

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