Zelensky appoints graft suspect as new ambassador to U.S. | 28 Aug 2025 | Vladimir Zelensky has appointed former Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina as Ukraine’s new ambassador to the U.S., despite ongoing corruption allegations linked to her past government work. In his evening address on Wednesday, Zelensky announced that the “formal procedures have been completed” and said he had instructed Stefanishina to “fully implement all the agreements reached in Washington, primarily in the defense sphere.” Stefanishina had served as Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration (2020-2025) and as minister of justice (2024-2025), before her temporary appointment as a special envoy to the U.S. in July amid renewed graft allegations.