Zelenskiy dismisses Ukraine's ambassador to US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed ambassador Olha Stefanishyna to the United States, citing personal circumstances, amidst a broader reshuffle of top officials.

President ​Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed Ukraine's ambassador ​to the United States, ‌Olha Stefanishyna, ​in a decree published on Monday.

Stefanishyna had been in her job for nearly ‌a year. Her departure had been expected for several weeks. Her departure coincides with a shake-up in recent weeks of top officials, including the ‌replacement of the prime minister and defence minister. A reshuffle ‌of Ukraine's diplomatic and ambassadorial appointments is also expected.

Stefanishyna, writing on Facebook, said the decision to leave her post was "my own decision, driven by personal circumstances ... " ⁠and said ​she had ⁠accomplished much during her time in the post. "We boosted the supply of American ⁠weapons and maintained support right when the political climate in Washington was changing ​and not in our favour," she wrote.

Ukraine's Suspilne public ⁠broadcaster quoted Stefanishyna last week as telling reporters in Washington that Zelenskiy had not ⁠sought ​her resignation. Stefanishyna said on Facebook that she would address other questions about her circumstances that have arisen in the ⁠media.

Ukrainian media outlets said she had informed the president of her intention ⁠to ⁠leave her post last month. The reports referred to long-running investigations into alleged irregularities in her asset declaration.