Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Olha Stefanishyna, a former senior cabinet minister, as Ukraine’s new ambassador to the United States, ending months of speculation. She replaces Oksana Markarova, who served in the role for six years, including more than three years during the full-scale war with Russia, and faced partisan criticism from US Republicans. Markarova’s departure was confirmed in July.
Stefanishyna previously served in Zelenskyy’s administration as deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, where she played a key role in advancing Ukraine’s ties with Western institutions. She also held the post of minister of justice.
Who is Olha Stefanishyna?
Born in Odesa in 1985, Stefanishyna graduated in 2008 from the Institute of International Relations at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a master’s degree in international law.
From 2017 to 2019, she led the Government Office for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
In July 2025, she was appointed Special Representative of the President of Ukraine for the Development of Cooperation with the United States.
Russian strike on Kyiv kills three
Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian night-time attack, the city’s military administration said early Thursday. At least three people were killed and nine injured, while several buildings were damaged across multiple districts.
A kindergarten caught fire, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a five-storey building had collapsed.
US-Ukraine key meetings
Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian officials will meet their US counterparts in New York on Friday as he continues to press for a one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin, despite Kremlin refusals.
“Friday, meetings will take place in New York, in the United States, with President Trump’s team after meetings in Switzerland on Thursday,” Zelenskyy said. Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer serving as an envoy for Donald Trump, earlier confirmed the meeting to US media.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Wednesday that he and security council chief Rustem Umerov were in Riyadh ahead of the US talks. According to Yermak, discussions in Saudi Arabia focused on potential paths to peace in Ukraine and Riyadh’s role in the process. He said they met with the Saudi defence minister and national security adviser before heading to Switzerland for further talks, followed by the planned engagements in New York.
