Acting US ambassador to Ukraine Julie Davis is expected to leave her post in Kyiv in the coming weeks and retire from the US Foreign Service after nearly 30 years, according to the Financial Times (FT).
The decision reportedly follows disagreements over US policy toward Ukraine under President Donald Trump, including "frustration" with reduced levels of support.
FT’s Kyiv correspondent Christopher Miller wrote on X: “Acting US ambassador to Ukraine Julie Davis will depart Kyiv in the coming weeks and retire, according to people familiar with the matter, leaving a key diplomatic post vacant while Russia prepares a summer offensive & peace talks stall.”
Embassy turnover during the war
He added that the US embassy in Kyiv has faced repeated turnover in senior diplomatic posts during the war.
“The US embassy in Kyiv has had trouble retaining ambassadors during both of Trump’s terms and Russia's war,” Miller wrote.
He also referenced earlier changes in US diplomatic representation, including the recall of former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch in 2019 and the resignation of Bridget Brink, which he said occurred “over policy differences with Trump" a year ago.
Reported frustration over appointment process
Miller said Davis, who is also accredited as US Ambassador to Cyprus while serving in Kyiv, “felt blindsided in October after learning through media reports that Trump had nominated John Breslow, an Arizona businessman and Republican donor, to be the next ambassador to Cyprus.”
He added that, according to people familiar with the matter, Davis had not been notified of the nomination in advance.
30-year State Department career spanning Eastern Europe and NATO
Davis assumed duties as Chargé d’Affaires in Kyiv in May 2025 while continuing her role as US Ambassador to Cyprus, a post she has held since 2023.
She is a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service with nearly 30 years of service, including assignments in Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and senior roles at NATO and within the US State Department’s European affairs bureau.
