The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, is planning to resign from her role earlier than expected, according to three sources who spoke to CBS News.
The State Department officially acknowledged her intention to step down on Thursday afternoon.
“Ambassador Brink has decided to resign. She has served as ambassador for three years, which is a considerable duration in a war zone. Frankly, the conflict has persisted for far too long,” stated a spokesperson from the State Department. “The critical question now is whether both Russia and Ukraine are prepared to take the necessary steps to conclude this war.”
Although Brink has yet to formally submit her resignation papers, she has begun making farewell calls to her colleagues, sources indicated.
Ambassador Brink has not provided a comment in response to requests.
A senior U.S. official informed CBS that her resignation is a result of a unique combination of personal and policy issues, which includes the recent USAID layoffs. Brink is currently stationed in a war zone away from her family, as Kyiv is classified as an unaccompanied post, prohibiting officers from bringing their families.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio aimed to retain Brink, a seasoned foreign service officer, and had previously declined her initial resignation submitted in January as part of the routine turnover process between administrations.
Brink’s resignation comes at a crucial time for U.S.-Ukraine relations. The Trump administration has been working to facilitate an end to the Russian invasion, partially by changing the approach to diplomatically isolating Vladimir Putin, who initiated the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
While Ukraine has accepted a U.S. ceasefire proposal, Russia has not yet responded. It remains uncertain whether President Trump has established any timetable for the conclusion of these diplomatic efforts; however, he continues to have special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, leading outreach to Russia.
During a NATO meeting last week, Rubio expressed that U.S. tolerance for Russia was diminishing.
“We will soon know, within weeks, not months, if Russia is serious about achieving peace. I hope they are,” Rubio stated on April 4.
Trump’s longstanding interest in Putin, coupled with his frustrations towards Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, has complicated these diplomatic efforts and raised concerns among Western allies.
His skepticism toward Zelenskyy was apparent during an intense Oval Office confrontation in February. Trump urged Zelenskyy to reach a ceasefire with Russia or indicated that “we’re out,” while Vice President JD Vance criticized the Ukrainian leader for being “disrespectful” after he questioned the vice president’s claim that the war’s duration was due to Ukraine and the Biden administration’s lack of diplomacy. Vice President Vance further chastised Zelenskyy by asking, “Have you said ‘thank you’ even once during this entire meeting?”
Following this, the Trump administration temporarily halted military and intelligence support for Ukraine amid the ensuing fallout. That intelligence support resumed once Ukraine complied with the Trump administration’s diplomatic overtures to Putin. Nonetheless, Trump continues to withhold nearly $4 billion in U.S. military aid which has already been earmarked for Ukraine. The U.S. has played a crucial role as a supplier of weapons since the onset of the Russian invasion.
