The U.S. Senate has approved Victoria Nuland's candidacy for the post of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
The meeting was broadcast on the U.S. Senate Upper House's website.
Earlier, her candidacy was approved by the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, as reported by RFE/RL's Ukrainian service.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Nuland on her appointment, noting her deep experience.
"Thrilled that Victoria Nuland was confirmed as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Her deep experience across the board will be so important to me and the Department as we move forward with a foreign policy that delivers for the American people," he wrote on Twitter on April 30, 2021.
Read alsoU.S. Secretary of State Blinken to visit Ukraine next week – mediaNuland will soon be sworn in and start officially serving at the third-highest ranking position in the U.S. Department of State.
Background
- On February 13, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden submitted to the Senate a number of personnel proposals for approval, in particular, he proposed to appoint Victoria Nuland as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs instead of David Hale.
- Nuland has 32 years of diplomatic experience. She has served under five U.S. presidents and nine Secretaries of State.
- In the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama, Nuland served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and, in particular, supervised the Ukrainian and Russian directions of the U.S. foreign policy. Her work with Ukraine and Russia during the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014 angered the Kremlin.
- Nuland is on Russia's "black list," which provides for an entry ban, in response to personal U.S. sanctions against Russia.
- After the departure of the Obama administration, Nuland entered academic circles and think tanks, became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump's foreign policy, in particular his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
