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Bridget A. Brink

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This article is about the American diplomat. For the British diplomat of a similar name, see Bridget Brind.

Bridget Brink
Brink in 2022
United States Ambassador to Ukraine
In office
May 30, 2022 – April 21, 2025
PresidentJoe Biden
Donald Trump
Preceded byKristina Kvien (chargé d'affaires)
Succeeded byJohn Ginkel (chargé d'affaires)
9th 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
Born1970 (age 54–55)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseNicholas Higgins
Children2
EducationKenyon College (BA)
London School of Economics (MS)
Brink's voice
Brink's opening statement at her confirmation hearing to be United States ambassador to Ukraine
Recorded May 10, 2022

Bridget Ann Brink (born 1970) is an American diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Ukraine from 2022 to 2025. A member of the United States Foreign Service, she previously served as the United States ambassador to Slovakia from 2019 until 2022 and has held various positions in the State Department since 1996.

In April 2022, she was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and presented her credentials to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May 2022. Brink served in her post during the first three years of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, signaling support for Ukraine in the conflict and advocating for the U.S. to provide military aid. She resigned during President Donald Trump's second term over disagreements with his administration's shift towards Russia and away from Ukraine.

Early life and education

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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 (LSE).[3]

Career

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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

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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

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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

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Brink has supported Ukraine throughout the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at least until Donald Trump's 2nd presidency. On July 22, 2022, 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, 2022.[15] In April 2025, Brink made a social media post about a recent missile strike on Kryvyi Rih. Afterward, Brink received a sharp rebuke from Zelensky for omitting Russia's role in the strike.[16]

Brink announced her intention to step down as ambassador on April 10, 2025, effective on April 21.[17] She reportedly chose to resign due to disagreements with the Trump administration, pressure from President Zelenskyy, and the toll of working in a war zone away from her family for nearly three years. Brink's resignation was seen as another upheaval amidst the State Department's reorientation away from Ukraine and towards Russia.[18][19]

Personal life

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b 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, [1]
  2. ^ "East Grand Rapids native nominated as ambassador to Ukraine". WOODTV.com. April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. ^ a b U.S. Department of State, Biography of Bridget A. Brink, accessed Nov. 5, 2019, [2]
  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, [3]
  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, [4]
  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.
  16. ^ Gak, Mariya Knight, Max Saltman, Sophie Tanno, Kosta (April 4, 2025). "Russian attack on Zelensky's home city kills 19 people, including 9 children, one of the deadliest attacks this year". CNN. Retrieved April 10, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Svirnovskiy, Gregory (April 10, 2025). "US ambassador to Ukraine stepping down after three years". Politico. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  18. ^ Carey, Andrew; Butenko, Victoria (April 12, 2025). "Pressures from Kyiv and Washington led to US ambassador's resignation, sources say". CNN. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  19. ^ Santora, Marc (May 16, 2025). "Trump's Ukraine Policy Pressured 'the Victim,' Former Ambassador Says". The New York Times.
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Slovakia
2019–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Ukraine
2022–2025 		Succeeded by
John Ginkel
Acting
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