Bridget Brink
Brink in 2022
United States Ambassador to Ukraine
Assumed office
May 30, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byMarie Yovanovitch (2019)
United States Ambassador to Slovakia
In office
August 20, 2019 – May 18, 2022
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byAdam H. Sterling
Succeeded byGautam A. Rana
Personal details
EducationKenyon College (BA)
London School of Economics (MS)

Bridget Ann Brink is an American diplomat serving as the United States Ambassador to Ukraine. In April 2022, she was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the United States ambassador to Ukraine, and presented her credentials in May 2022. She previously served as the United States Ambassador to Slovakia from August 20, 2019, until May 18, 2022.

Early life and education

Brink is a native of Michigan, the daughter of John and Gwen Brink.[1] She graduated from East Grand Rapids High School in 1987.[2] Brink earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Kenyon College and a master's in international relations and political theory from the London School of Economics.[3]

Career

After joining the United States Department of State in 1996, Brink served as a consular political officer in the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade from 1997 to 1999. She then served as a Cyprus desk officer until 2002, and as a special assistant for Europe to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs until 2004. From 2005 to 2008, Brink served as political-economic chief in Tbilisi.

From 2008 to 2009, Brink served as the deputy director for southern European affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She then joined the United States National Security Council and from 2009 to 2010, she served as director for the Aegean and South Caucasus, where she helped coordinate U.S. foreign policy and advance U.S. interests with Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. In 2011, Brink returned to Georgia as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi.

Brink served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 2014 until August 2015, when she became deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.[3] In 2018, Foreign Policy reported that Brink was slated to be nominated as the US ambassador to Georgia, but the Georgian Dream government rebuffed her due to her alleged predisposition toward former Georgian President and then-opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili.[4]

U.S. ambassador to Slovakia

President Donald Trump nominated Brink to become the ambassador to Slovakia.[5] Hearings were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 16, 2019. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on May 22, 2019. Brink was confirmed by the entire Senate via voice vote on May 23, 2019.[6]

Brink presented her credentials to President Zuzana Čaputová on August 20, 2019.[7]

U.S. ambassador to Ukraine

Brink with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in May 2022
Brink with Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova in Borodianka in June 2022

In February 2022, it was reported that President Joe Biden would nominate Brink as the United States ambassador to Ukraine.[8] On April 25, 2022, Brink was nominated to serve in that position.[9] Hearings took place on May 10, 2022, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.[10] On May 18, 2022, the committee reported her favorably to the Senate floor. Her nomination process was fast-tracked and she was unanimously confirmed by the entire Senate via voice vote later that day.[11] She presented her credentials on May 30, 2022, and took office during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[12]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Brink has supported Ukraine throughout the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On July 22, Brink stated that the United States would continue to "support Ukraine for as long as it takes." She made these statements after the White House announced they would send $270 million for military assistance to Ukraine.[13] On July 26, she met with Jonathan Markovitch, the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv.[14] In December it was reported that she had met with President Zelensky in person to securely coordinate his 9.5 hour visit to Washington, D.C., on December 23.[15]

Personal life

She is the mother of two boys, and her husband, Nicholas Higgins, also works for the U.S. Foreign Service. Brink speaks English, Russian, Serbian, Georgian and French.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Senate, "Statement of Bridget A. Brink Ambassador-Nominee to the Slovak Republic Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday, May 16, 2019", accessed Nov. 5, 2019,
  2. ↑ "East Grand Rapids native nominated as ambassador to Ukraine". WOODTV.com. April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. 1 2 U.S. Department of State, Biography of Bridget A. Brink, accessed Nov. 5, 2019,
  4. ↑ Gramer, Robbie; Mackinnon, Amy (December 10, 2018). "Georgia Rebuffs U.S. Ambassador Pick as Too Pro-Saakashvili". Foreign Policy. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  5. ↑ Brink Bridget A. – Slovak Republic – April 2019 Certificate of Competency, May 15, 2019,
  6. ↑ "PN520 — Bridget A. Brink — Department of State 116th Congress (2019-2020)". US Congress. May 23, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ The Slovak Spectator, "Ambassador Brink: A new chapter in our story of freedom" Sept. 12, 2019,
  8. ↑ "Biden expected to name veteran diplomat as Ukraine envoy". AP. February 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  9. ↑ "President Biden Announces Nominee for Ambassador to Ukraine". The White House. April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ "PN1999 — Bridget A. Brink — Department of State 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  11. ↑ Andrew Desiderio (May 18, 2022). "Senate unanimously confirms Brink as Ukraine ambassador". POLITICO. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  12. ↑ "New US ambassador to Ukraine arrives in Kyiv in symbolic move". the Guardian. May 30, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  13. ↑ Yehoshyna, Valeria. "Exclusive: U.S. Ambassador To Ukraine Says Washington Will Support Kyiv 'For As Long As It Takes'". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  14. ↑ "U.S. ambassador to Ukraine meets with chief rabbi of Kyiv". www.ukrinform.net. July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  15. ↑ Pager, Tyler; Abutaleb, Yasmeen (December 22, 2022). "Deep secrecy, high risk: How Zelensky's improbable D.C. visit came together". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
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