Zelensky Announces New Role for Ukraine's Former US ...

By Ellie Cook

Senior Defense Reporter

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The former Ukraine ambassador to the U.S. will now serve as an adviser to Kyiv's President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader said on Sunday.

Oksana Markarova served as Ukraine's envoy to Washington from 2021 until August 2025. She was replaced by Olha Stefanishyna, who was previously a top official for Ukraine's relationship with Europe.

Why It Matters

Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, resigned earlier this week after two Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies raided his home in the midst of U.S.-led negotiations on a draft peace deal with Russia. Yermak, for years a hugely powerful figure in Kyiv, had headed up Ukraine's presence in talks with the U.S.

Ukraine's NABU and SAPO anti-corruption bodies said they had searched Yermak's home, but did not offer any more details. Yermak has said he is an "honest and decent person" and has pledged to fight on the country's front lines.

Zelensky has for weeks contended with a ballooning corruption scandal focused on Ukraine's energy network, firing Kyiv's energy and justice ministers earlier in November as public outrage has grown and Russia has hammered the country's energy infrastructure. Among those implicated in the scandal are several prominent figures currently or previously associated with Zelensky.

Markarova told Ukraine's Pravda outlet earlier this month she had not been offered the job as Yermak's replacement after Ukrainian media reports indicated she had declined the position as Zelensky's right hand.

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What To Know

Markarova will take up the post of adviser on rebuilding and investments from Sunday, Zelensky said in a post to social media.

"I am glad that Oksana remains part of our state’s team, and her responsibilities will now include advising on issues that strengthen Ukraine," Zelensky said. This includes how the country will court foreign investment and piecing together plans to rebuild the country, the president said.

Zelensky had said in mid-November he had met with Markarova to discuss "possible areas for future cooperation." The presidential office said in a statement that Markarova has "extensive experience in managing public finances and private capital, as well as attracting investments."

Before becoming Ukraine's envoy to the U.S., Markarova worked in the country's finance ministry.

Markarova attracts mixed opinions, viewed by some as humble and competent and by others as ineffective in her handling of her tenure in Washington.

Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, penned a letter to Zelensky in September 2024, urging the Ukrainian leader to dismiss Markarova from her position in Washington after Zelensky visited an ammunition plant in former President Joe Biden's hometown.

Zelensky met with several prominent Democrats on the visit, which came weeks ahead of the presidential elections U.S. President Donald Trump would go on to win. Johnson said no Republicans had been invited along to the site visit in "a politically contested battleground state."

"I demand that you immediately fire Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova," Johnson said in the letter to the Ukrainian leader.

"She let down the president," a source in Ukraine's government told Newsweek. They were granted anonymity to speak freely.

The source said the incident with the Scranton ammunition factory in Pennsylvania was a "serious mistake" and Johnson's comments were "unprecedented."

What People Are Saying

"Despite all challenges, we continue to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons, air defense systems, and sufficient resources for internal resilience," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. "But beyond the fundamental goal of defending our independence and the daily work to ensure Ukraine’s survival, we have a long-term objective: to give Ukraine the capacity to rebuild after the fighting and restore normal economic development."

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