President Biden nominated Bridget Brink as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine on Monday, which would fill a position that has remained empty for more than a year despite the critical importance of the American relationship with Ukraine.
The news was relayed to the Ukrainian government on Sunday as Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The delegation also said the United States would move to reopen its embassy in Kyiv, according to the officials.
Ms. Brink’s nomination will end a delay that career diplomats have said would be baffling even in more tranquil times. The Ukraine ambassadorship has lacked a full-time occupant since 2019, when President Donald J. Trump unceremoniously removed Marie L. Yovanovitch. Shortly after, William B. Taylor Jr., a retired veteran diplomat, stepped in on a temporary basis until early 2020. The post has remained empty during the Biden administration even as dire warnings were issued last year that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine.
