The U.S. will likely end the role of special envoy to Ukraine, previously held by Kurt Volker, the Foreign Policy news site reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
Other State Department personnel might take over some of the functions of the special envoy’s position. The U.S. officials told FP that no one wanted to step forward to take the job, fearing political exposure from the extreme volatility presently surrounding the role.
This may eliminate a key line of communication between Kyiv and Washington, as President Volodymyr Zelensky tries to step up peace negotiations to end the Russian conflict that has cost more than 13,000 Ukrainian lives. It may also reduce U.S. involvement in the negotiations.
Volker had told media in August that the U.S. would be ready to join the Normandy Format negotiations if needed after Zelensky proposed including U.S. and British representatives in the group, which already includes Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany.
The potential special envoy discontinuation comes at a time when the diplomatic corps linking the countries are under strain.
Former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch testified that she was forced to leave Kyiv months ahead of schedule and was removed from her post by U.S. President Donald Trump following unfounded, false claims made against her by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his associates.
Meanwhile, acting Ambassador William Taylor has been labeled a “radical unelected bureaucrat” by an increasingly hostile U.S. president. Taylor had pushed back against Trump’s alleged attempts to force the Ukrainian leadership to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. At stake was a vital $391-million military aid package, approved by Congress but frozen by Trump until Zelensky did him the “favor.”
This alleged act of political extortion is now at the heart of a U.S. presidential impeachment inquiry, involving dozens of politicians, diplomats, public officials and even businesspeople. Volker was among the first to be snared, following leaks exposing his role in helping Giuliani connect with the Ukrainian president.
Volker resigned his post on Sept. 27, shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives said it would take his deposition about the alleged quid pro quo.
Volker was appointed to the newly created special envoy role in July 2017 to help push for an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The career diplomat was trusted in Ukraine and seen as someone who understands the Russian danger facing the country. He was hawkish on Russia and had consistently called on the West to push back against Moscow since the early days of Russia’s aggression in 2014.
Volker was seen as instrumental in Trump’s decision to send weapons to Ukraine, including the anti-tank Javelin missiles. However, he was also involved with lobbying firm BGR Group and the McCain Institute think tank, which had ties with Raytheon Co., which produces the Javelins.
More importantly, Volker was revealed to have a central role in the Trump administration’s effort to force Ukraine to announce an investigation into Biden and a debunked conspiracy theory alleging Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The special envoy effectively served as a fixer, connecting Giuliani with Zelensky aide Andriy Yermak.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday released the full 360-page Volker testimony, which revealed that Trump dislikes and distrusts Ukraine and Ukrainians, believing them to have been behind an attempt to take him down in 2016.
