Zelenskyy tells US ambassador that he wants to fire her – source

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has informed ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova of his intention to dismiss her. The interlocutor in the presidential Office told this to LIGA.net.

According to him, the head of state offered Markarova to stay in his team after his dismissal.

The president already has "his vision" for the candidate, but it is still being discussed with the American side, the source added. LIGA.net.

However, he does not know whether Washington has already responded to this issue.

Earlier, on July 7, Bloomberg, citing its interlocutors, wrote that Zelenskyy, during a conversation with his American counterpart Donald Trump, discussed the replacement of the Ukrainian ambassador to Washington.

One of the interlocutors said that potential candidates for the post include Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna, heads of the Ministries of Defense and Energy Rustem Umerov and Herman Halushchenko.

According to media reports, Zelenskyy instructed the Foreign Ministry to discuss the appointment of the next Ukrainian ambassador with the United States.

Bloomberg's information was also confirmed by an interlocutor of LIGA.net in the presidential Office, noting that this is an exhaustive list of candidates, but that work with Washington is ongoing.

He noted that this diplomatic rotation is planned to take place "in the near future," but there is no specific date yet. At the same time, both Ukraine and the United States are interested in the prompt appointment of a new ambassador, the source added .

• Markarova has served as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States since February 2021. She is associated with a scandal that occurred at the height of the US election campaign: in September 2024, a Ukrainian delegation led by Zelenskyy visited a defense company in Pennsylvania that manufactures shells for Ukraine.
• The event was attended by the local governor and Democratic lawmakers, but no Republican representatives were present. Afterward, the latter in the House of Representatives initiated an investigation into the visit, and its speaker, Trump supporter Johnson, wrote a letter to Zelenskyy demanding that Markarova be fired "immediately". However, this did not lead to her resignation.
• Pennsylvania is a swing state, meaning that there is no clear support for one of the two parties. Therefore, election campaigns are aimed at winning in such regions. In the end, in 2024, Trump won Pennsylvania.