British Ambassador to Ukraine Judith Gough, posted to the country since September 2015, will make way in the summer for a new top envoy from London – Melinda Simmons.
The end of Gough’s mission to Ukraine does not come as a surprise. Speculation around her imminent departure had been circulating around Kyiv, as was the feeling that her replacement would have big shoes to fill.
Gough is widely regarded as one of Ukraine’s strongest allies and most reliable advocates. She helped to strengthen the relationship between the U.K. and Ukraine as she oversaw a package of programs that improved bilateral cooperation in areas such as good governance, military capacity, culture and education.
U.K. assistance to Ukraine is currently valued at about 35 million pounds, or $45 million, per year and is growing. Bilateral trade has also increased to $2.53 billion.
Meanwhile, British defense assistance missions have already trained at least 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers and are now pivoting to the maritime area, where sailors and marines will also be educated by British counterparts.
“What I have seen since I arrived… is a country that has made huge progress,” said Gough during an interview with the Kyiv Post at the British Embassy on April 12.
Simmons, who will become the official representative of the British government in Kyiv, already appears motivated. She has been taking a Ukrainian language course in London, as it is a requirement for senior British diplomats.
Tweeting in Ukrainian, for the first time, Simmons said: “I am very happy to be appointed the Ambassador of Great Britain to Ukraine! I am persistently studying the Ukrainian language, and I look forward to meeting with Ukraine and Ukrainians.”
In addition to linguistic skills, the new top emissary from Whitehall will also bring years of diplomatic experience and other work-related skills with her. She comes at a crucial point in Ukrainian history – only a few months after the election of Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the office of president.
Simmons has a long and varied work experience, mostly in humanitarian work or connected to the field of national security. She has been responsible for projects related to conflict resolution, most notably tied to Africa and the Middle East, but also Europe.
Her experience as a deputy director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s British Conflict Department and as an alternate member of the board of directors at the European Investment Bank will likely be useful in the Ukrainian context – a country that is at war since 2014 and also attempting to grow its economy and attract foreign investors.
