US not planning to appoint special representative for Donbas
Former US ambassador to Ukraine (2003-2006) John Herbst told Radio NV in an interview that he considers it unlikely that the US will appoint a special representative for the Donbas.
“Volker is a very talented diplomat… and the fact that he has left is a certain loss. As far as I know, they have decided not to replace him, there will not be a new extraordinary ambassador for this matter – not for Ukraine, but for Donbas affairs,” said Herbst.
With respect to the appointment of a new US ambassador to Ukraine, Herbst said that he does not know when this will happen.
“Although I closely follow the Ukrainian issue and the Russian issue in Washington, I don’t entirely understand why there is currently no appointment [of a US ambassador to Ukraine]. I think someone will be appointed in a few months, but when exactly – I don’t know,” he said.
Kurt Volker was appointed the US State Department’s Special Representative for Ukraine in July 2017. During his tenure, he visited Ukraine on multiple occasions, maintained constant contact with Ukraine’s political leadership, and on several occasions even met with Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov to discuss possible solutions to the situation in the Donbas.