Kyiv, October 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The presidential secretariat sees no problems connected with the nomination of John Tefft as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian side sees no problems connected with the candidacy of the above-mentioned ambassador. All of the necessary procedures, as well as presenting an agrement, are being conducted efficiently by the Foreign Ministry. But let’s remember that state procedures of the United States still lie ahead – the candidacy of a new ambassador should first be approved by the U.S. Senate,” Deputy Head Presidential Secretariat Andriy Honcharuk told journalists in Kyiv.
He notes that Tefft is a professional diplomat who contributed to the process of settling the recent conflict in Georgia.
Honcharuk also said Ukraine does not endorse various assessments made in comments of the mass media concerning the previous activity of Tefft as U.S. ambassador to Georgia and his supposedly negative role in the Russian-Georgian conflict.
Tefft was the U.S. ambassador to Georgia in 2005-2009. Earlier, Tefft served as the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and was responsible for U.S. relations with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.
From 2000 to 2003 he was U.S. ambassador to Lithuania.
