The top US diplomat in Ukraine is leaving his post later this year, the State Department confirmed, making room in Kyiv at a difficult time in the relationship between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Julie Davis, the chief affairs officer at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, will retire from the foreign service in June, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Tuesday.
Financial Timesfirst reported the departure of Davislinking the move to his dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s level of support for Ukraine. Pigott called that behavior “lying.”
“Ambassador Davis has been a staunch advocate of the Trump Administration’s efforts to bring lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine,” Pigott said. “He will continue to proudly advance President Trump’s policies until he officially leaves Kyiv in June 2026 and retires from the Department.”
Trump has been trying to pressure Zelenskyy into a land deal in an effort to reach an agreement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine – something Zelenskyy has continued to oppose. In March, Zelenskyy told Reuters the Trump administrationhe closed his offer of security bondsto Ukraine for a peace agreement that would see Ukraine cede its eastern Donbas region to Russia.
In the same interview, Zelenskyy said he noticed a change in the direction of the Trump administration as soon as the US-Iran war started in February.
“The Middle East certainly has an impact on President Trump … (he) still chooses the strategy of putting more pressure on the side of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
In addition to his role at the US embassy in Kyiv, Davis also serves as ambassador to Cyprus. During Trump’s first administration, he served as the US special envoy to Belarus.
