Ex-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine says she resigned over disagreements with Trump’s diplomacy

The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine said she resigned last month due to deep disagreements with President Trump’s stance on Russia.

Former Ambassador Bridget Brink, who was a Biden administration holdover in the Ukraine post, detailed the reasons behind her April resignation in an op-ed published by the Detroit Free Press on Friday. She says the newly inaugurated Trump White House put too much pressure on Ukraine while adopting a deferential stance on Russia.

“I respect the president’s right and responsibility to determine U.S. foreign policy ― with proper checks and balances by U.S. Congress,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, the policy since the beginning of the Trump administration has been to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than on the aggressor, Russia.”

Ms. Brink described acts of “pure evil” committed by the Russian armed forces, including the killing of civilians and the abduction of thousands of children. She said Mr. Trump’s attitude toward Moscow in light of these atrocities is ultimately what led her to step down.

“For three years I heard the stories, saw the brutality, and felt the pain of families whose sons and daughters were killed and wounded by Russian missiles and drones that hit playgrounds, churches and schools,” she said. “History has taught us time and again that appeasement does not lead to safety, security or prosperity. It leads to more war and suffering.”

Ms. Brink was a career U.S. Foreign Service diplomat and served as ambassador to Slovakia during the first Trump administration.

During the Biden years, Ms. Brink adopted an aggressively pro-Ukraine stance in line with the rest of the administration. However, following Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January, the ambassador adopted a much less militant stance as she promoted the positions of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ms. Brink and the U.S. embassy’s position shift irritated Kyiv. In April, shortly before her resignation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly criticized the U.S. embassy for what he saw as a weak reaction to a Russian bombing mission.

“Unfortunately, the response from the U.S. Embassy is surprisingly disappointing — such a strong country, such a strong people, and yet such a weak reaction,” Mr. Zelensky wrote on X at the time. “They are afraid to even say the word ’Russian’ when speaking about the missile that murdered children.”

Ms. Brink’s statements come as Ukraine and Russia enter their first direct talks since the outbreak of war in 2022. The talks began on Friday but yielded few results, with Ukraine’s foreign ministry reporting that Russia was unprepared to accept a ceasefire agreement and voiced several “unacceptable” conditions.