Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump (Photo: t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the issue of replacing the current Ukrainian ambassador to Washington , Oksana Markarova, during a phone call with US President Donald Trump on July 4. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter.

One of the sources said that among the potential candidates for the post of ambassador are Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal , Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna , Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov , and Minister of Energy Herman Galushchenko .

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Earlier, LIGA.net reported, citing a source in the leadership of the Servant of the People faction, that Shmygal could be offered a diplomatic position after resigning as Prime Minister: "Shmygal was told that he would remain in the team. Perhaps as an ambassador."

However, Zelenskyy himself denies the "rumors" about Shmygal's resignation.

According to Bloomberg, Zelenskyy allegedly instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the appointment of the next Ukrainian ambassador with the American side.

A source from the President's Office confirmed this information to LIGA.net , noting that this is currently the complete list of candidates, but work with the US is ongoing.

According to him, the rotation is planned in the near future. There is no specific date yet, but both Kyiv and Washington are interested in the prompt appointment of a new ambassador.

Markarova has held the position of Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States since February 2021.In September 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that Zelenskyy should "immediately" dismiss Markarova .This was preceded by Zelenskyy's visit to a shell production plant in Pennsylvania during the height of the American presidential election campaign. Republicans criticized the event because there were no representatives of their party, but several Democrats. And the organizer of the event, according to Johnson, was Markarova.