Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed his ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanishyna, in a move that had been expected following a government reshuffle last month.
The sacking, announced by decree on Monday, happened, however, as Kiev was lobbying Washington hard to obtain more Patriot air defence missiles to block Russian strikes.
In a Facebook post in which she also posted a letter asking to be relieved of her duties, Stefanishyna said the decision was her own and “dictated by personal circumstances”.
She called her posting to Washington “the greatest honour” of her life.
“We increased the supply of American weapons and maintained support precisely when the political climate in Washington was shifting against us,” she added.
Stefanishyna, a former deputy prime minister and justice minister, was nominated as ambassador in July last year.
