Nominee to be US ambassador to Ukraine pledges to counter Russian malign influence

“It is an honor to appear before you today as President Trump’s nominee to serve as the United States’ Ambassador to Ukraine. If confirmed, I look forward to working with this Committee and Congress to continue our strong bipartisan support for the Ukrainian people, enhance our already deep bilateral relationship, support Ukraine’s reform agenda, counter Russian malign influence, and work to fully restore sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Keith Dayton, nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, said at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on August 5.

In his view, these steps will be critical to “advancing our shared goal of Ukraine joining the Euro-Atlantic community as a full and free member.”

As reported, U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Keith Dayton for the post of U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine in early May 2020. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba welcomed this decision.

To be officially appointed as U.S. ambassador to a foreign state, a nominee must go through the Senate approval procedure.

Keith W. Dayton currently serves as the Director of the George C. Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany, a position he has held since 2010. He also serves concurrently as Senior U.S. Defense Advisor to Ukraine, an adjunct duty to his position as Marshall Center Director. This follows a four-decade career in the United States Army from which he honorably retired in 2010 with the rank of Lieutenant General. Among his many assignments, Lt. General Dayton was the U.S. Security Coordinator Israel/Palestinian Authority; Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy, Army Staff, the Pentagon, and Director of Operations for the Defense Intelligence Agency, including as Director of the Iraq Survey Group looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

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