On Tuesday, April 28, the US State Department announced that Julie S. Davis, the Chargé d’affaires of the United States in Ukraine, will be stepping down and retiring. Davis’ current main role is to assist in mediating the Russia-Ukraine conflict to achieve a substantive ceasefire and negotiation.
According to the Financial Times, Davis’ departure is primarily due to disagreements with US President Trump’s policies, including a reduced US support for Ukraine, which has left her feeling frustrated.
Currently, the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire negotiations are at a standstill, coupled with the recent shift in focus of the Trump administration towards the conflict with Iran, resulting in decreased attention towards Ukraine from the US.
In response, Ukrainian President Zelensky acknowledged on Tuesday in a video posted on X that he understands the prioritization of the conflict with Iran for the US rather than the ongoing four-year conflict in Ukraine.
Regarding rumors, the US State Department refuted the Financial Times’ claims, stating that the reports of Davis resigning due to disagreements with Trump were “completely contrary to the facts.”
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott emphasized that “Ambassador Davis has been a staunch supporter of the Trump administration’s efforts to achieve lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine. Until her official departure from Kyiv in June 2026 and retirement from the State Department, she will continue to proudly advance President Trump’s policies.”
In May 2025, Davis was appointed by the Trump administration to replace the former US Ambassador to Ukraine, career diplomat Bridget Brink, who had resigned. At the time, a State Department spokesperson stated via email that “Ambassador Brink is leaving soon, having served in the conflict zone (Russia-Ukraine conflict zone) for three years, which has been a very long time.”
Brink was nominated by then-US President Biden in May 2022 to serve as the US Ambassador to Ukraine. Spanning two US administrations, she has witnessed significant shifts in Washington’s Ukraine policy and is currently running for Congress as a Democrat.
According to the official website of the US Embassy in Ukraine, Davis is a senior US diplomat with 30 years of service at the State Department, having served in Eastern Europe multiple times. She became the US Ambassador to Cyprus in 2023 and also assumed the role of Chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Kyiv in May 2025.
Prior to being appointed as the US Ambassador to Cyprus, Davis served as the Special Envoy for Belarus Affairs in Vilnius, Lithuania. In 2020, she was confirmed by the Senate as the first US Ambassador to Belarus since 2008.
Furthermore, Davis has held high-ranking positions in the US State Department, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Europe and EU Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and Deputy Representative to the US Mission to NATO.