Olha Stefanishyna is Kiev’s new representative in Washington, following an August 27th announcement from President Volodymyr Zelensky, who declared that Stefanishyna should promote U.S.-Ukraine defence agreements.
Outgoing representative Oksana Markarova, who campaigned for Ukraine in Washington during the war years, commented on her own achievements in securing funding, arms, and sanctions against Russia, adding “most importantly, we managed to establish, sustain, and strengthen bipartisan support for Ukraine in Congress and among the American people.”
Previously, Stefanishyna helped to develop Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration policy, appointed Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration in 2020. From September 2024 to July 2025, she also served as minister of justice alongside her deputy PM responsibilities.
Zelensky’s priorities for his new appointee include drone procurement. Her diplomatic engagements will come against a backdrop of U.S.-led efforts to secure peace in Ukraine, spurred on by President Donald Trump.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war have accelerated in recent weeks after a U.S.-Russian summit in Alaska, followed up with a Washington meeting between Trump and Zelensky, observed by representatives of the ‘coalition of the willing.’
