US ambassador to Ukraine stepping down

WASHINGTON -- US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink is stepping down, said US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Thursday, without giving a specific departure date.

Brink was nominated by former US President Joe Biden and unanimously confirmed by the US Senate in May 2022. She is a supporter of US military aid to Ukraine.

Her departure comes at a critical moment in US-Ukraine relations, following US President Donald Trump signaling a dramatic shift in US foreign policy toward Ukraine and a tense meeting during which Trump and US Vice President JD Vance blamed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for pressing the United States on security guarantees.