Stefanyshyna officially becomes Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States
27 August 23:55
Ukraine has officially appointed a new ambassador to Washington, DC. Olha Stefanishyna, who previously served as Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, will now represent our country in the United States. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his evening address, noting that all formal procedures have been completed, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“I have just spoken with Olga Stefanishyna, the new Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States of America. The formal procedures have been completed – today I signed a decree on the appointment of the Ambassador,” the head of state said.
Priorities for cooperation with the United States
Zelenskyy emphasized that he had set a number of key tasks for the new ambassador. The main goal is to update the work of the Ukrainian embassy in Washington and implement strategic agreements with US President Donald Trump, particularly in the defense sector.
“I have identified key tasks to update the work of our embassy, and the main thing is to fully implement all agreements with Washington – our agreements with President Trump, especially in the defense sector. In many ways, the long-term security of Ukraine depends on relations with the United States,” the President emphasized.
Among the main areas of cooperation, he named two proposals currently under discussion:
- an agreement on arms supplies to Ukraine
- an agreement on the production of modern drones for the United States.
Kyiv expects these relations to develop rapidly.
Gratitude to Oksana Markarova
The President also thanked the previous ambassador, Oksana Markarova, who represented Ukraine in Washington since the beginning of the full-scale war.
“I am grateful to Oksana Markarova. Oksana represented Ukraine in Washington during all these years of full-scale war – a very difficult mission. And Ukraine has always been heard in the United States. I want to thank her for this work. We have already talked about further cooperation, and I have offered Oksana Markarova to continue to be in the team – to work for Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
Who is Olga Stefanishyna?
Olga Stefanishyna was born on October 29, 1985 in Odesa. Since her student years, she has been involved in international relations. In 2008, she graduated from the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, where she received a master’s degree in international law and a qualification as an English translator.
In 2016, she received a second degree from the Odesa National Economic University, specializing in Finance and Credit.
In 2007, she started working at the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, where she held various positions, including Director of the International Law Department and the European Integration Department.
From 2017 to 2019, she headed the Government Office for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
In 2020, she was appointed Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Ukraine.
In 2020, Olga Stefanishyna joined the government as Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration. And from September 2024 to July 2025, she combined this position with her duties as Minister of Justice of Ukraine.
