President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering the appointment of Defense Minister Rustem Umerov as Ambassador to the US. Zelenskyy said this during a conversation with the press in Rome on July 10, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

Zelenskyy said that he wants to replace Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova.

“Changes in the Ambassador to the United States of America will take place,” he said.

He noted that he had spoken with Markarova about her resignation and would like her to continue working in Ukraine.

“As for the new Ambassador (to the US), I would say the same for the Cabinet of Ministers. I will say frankly, if I decide, and this will be in the near future, that representing Ukraine in the United States of America, that is, our key Ambassador will be Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, this will certainly affect serious changes in the government of Ukraine,” the President said.

Zelenskyy explained this by saying that all of Ukraine’s decisions and budget are related to the russian-Ukrainian war.

He noted that it is now important for Ukraine to strengthen relations with the United States, not to miss the moment, and it is necessary for the Ambassador to the United States to be a strong person, who, in the context of the most important thing – strengthening Ukraine primarily with weapons.

Zelenskyy also noted that during changes in the government, one should think about reducing institutions to reduce the budget deficit, reduce bureaucracy, and speed up process management.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, according to media reports, in a telephone conversation on July 4, Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump discussed replacing Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States.

In February 2021, Zelenskyy appointed former Finance Minister Oksana Markarova as Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, replacing Volodymyr Yelchenko.

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