US envoy to Ukraine Julie Davis to quit over ‘disagreement with Trump’

Julie Davis

2 min readApr 29, 2026 12:57 PM IST

Amid stalled ceasefire efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war, Julie Davis, the acting US ambassador to Ukraine, is set to step down next month, the State Department confirmed, less than a year after she took charge in Kyiv.

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Her departure comes amid reports of growing frustration with US President Donald Trump over his approach to Ukraine, according to the Financial Times. However, the State Department denied any such differences, stating that Davis is retiring.

Trump has been pressuring Ukraine to accept a peace deal with Russia that could involve ceding territory to secure an agreement. His administration backed a 28-point peace plan aimed at ending the war, but ceasefire efforts have so far failed to gain traction. Talks have largely stalled as Washington shifted its focus to the Iran conflict.

“It is false to suggest Ambassador Davis is resigning over differences with Donald Trump,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. “She will continue to proudly advance the President’s policies until she officially departs Kyiv in June 2026 and retires from the department,” he added, as reported by The Guardian.

Davis was appointed by the Trump administration in May last year after her predecessor, Bridget Brink, stepped down. She has been serving as chargé d’affaires, not a Senate-confirmed ambassador, and has also held the role of US ambassador to Cyprus since 2023, managing both positions simultaneously.

Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion of the country more than four years ago and has had a strained relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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