KYIV, Ukraine (Ukraine) — The US Embassy in Ukraine has had a lot of changes recently.
In 2019, former President Donald Trump summoned the ambassador, an incident that played a key role in his first impeachment. The embassy was shut down abruptly in February, just before Russia invaded.
It reopened last month, with Bridget Brink, the first permanent, Senate-confirmed ambassador in three years, as the new ambassador. She is in charge of a major US aid programme to Ukraine, with a staff that is currently much smaller than it was before the war.
In an interview with NPR at the sprawling embassy property, Brink said, “I wish I had 48 hours in a day.”
She spends the most of her days meeting with Ukrainian government officials. This usually entails a journey through Kyiv, where daily life appears to be rather normal until she reaches the heavily secured government buildings.
“The offices were all barred the first time I went to meet the president (Volodymyr Zelenskyy), and they are still barricaded everytime I go to see a minister. They’re all dimly lit. Because they don’t keep the lights on for security reasons, you’ll have to go along dark hallways with no light and take dark elevators “she stated
On June 4, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink (left) receives a briefing from Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova in Borodyanka, a seriously devastated Kyiv suburb. Ukraine claims to have documented over 15,000 possible Russian war crimes, and the US government is assisting Ukraine in its investigation.
On June 4, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink (left) receives a briefing from Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova in Borodyanka, a seriously devastated Kyiv suburb. Ukraine claims to have documented over 15,000 possible Russian war crimes, and the US government is assisting Ukraine in its investigation.
“People who are highly armed are everywhere. Barricades and roadblocks can be found all over the place “she continued. “Kyiv is still in a warlike state.”
Brink, a former ambassador to Slovakia, has been in Ukraine for less than three weeks. She’s already been to the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha, Irpin, and Borodyanka, where Russian forces were accused of massive violations in the early days of the war as they moved to within 10 miles of the city.
According to Brink, the United States is supporting Ukrainian attempts to investigate war crimes.
“This is a top priority for me, which is why I wanted to personally visit some of these locations early on,” she explained.
Ukraine claims to have compiled a list of over 15,000 possible Russian war crimes. Three Russian soldiers have previously been put on trial and found guilty.
Ukraine, on the other hand, confronts a number of hurdles, including detaining Russian forces suspected of human rights violations and tying them to particular crimes.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Ukraine insists it wants to go forward. Evidence and witnesses may be more tougher to come by if the country waits until the conflict is ended.
In a country at war, there are two realities to contend with.
Living in Kyiv, according to the ambassador, often involves dealing with two realities: going about your everyday business while being reminded of the ongoing conflict.
“On the one side, it appears to be somewhat normal in that certain shops and restaurants are beginning to open, and you can acquire some items here,” she explained. “On the other hand, there are air raid sirens all day, and it’s against a threat that’s very difficult to defend against.”
Russia attacked on three fronts at the commencement of the war: north, east, and south. The combat has now mostly shifted to the east. However, it continues to cause challenges for Ukrainians across the country.
“I just look at the Ukrainian people’s tenacity, from the president to the 10-year-old girl I met in Irpin, who had to hide for two and a half months in a dark, cold, and filthy cellar with missiles flying and hitting all around her,” Brink remarked. “Yet she and her mother have stated that they will remain and fight to the bitter end.”
The fight has been going on for nearly four months and there is no end in sight. The tide has shifted back and forth, and Russia currently appears to be in control of the present combat in Ukraine’s east.
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“In my opinion, this is going to be a long, arduous war,” Brink added. “Inch by inch, yard by yard, kilometre by kilometre, the Ukrainians are fighting. It’s a tight, gruelling fight with a lot of casualties.”
