Former U.S. ambassador in Ukraine: “I cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded and children killed”
Bridget A. Brink, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, resigned last month.
Bridget Brink, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine since May 2022, resigned in April 2025, making clear her deep disagreements with President Donald Trump’s foreign policy towards Ukraine.
In an op-ed, she heavily criticised Trump’s peace initiative as a move of appeasement for Putin, not a pursuit of real peace; Trump previously called the invasion of Ukraine “genius” and “savvy”.
“I cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded and children killed with impunity... Peace at any price is not peace at all — it is appeasement", Ms. Brink wrote in an opinion essay published Friday in The Detroit Free Press. “And history has taught us time and again that appeasement does not lead to safety, security or prosperity. It leads to more war and suffering.”
Bridget Brink's open letter:
"I may no longer be an American diplomat, but I will never stop believing in the need for American leadership to secure our own future and offer the beacon of hope and possibility for every Michigander, every American and so many others around the world."
Russia has ‘committed over 150,000 war crimes’ and ‘abducted 20,000 children’
She referenced the "thousands of civilians, including 700 children [killed] with missiles and drones that hit their homes and apartments in the dead of night."
Russia has, according to Brink’s letter, “committed over 150,000 war crimes, abducted 20,000 children from their families, and forced millions of men, women and children to flee into Europe and elsewhere.”
Brink’s resignation followed internal tensions, including backlash over her diplomatic communications after a deadly Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih.
The situation in Russia and Ukraine, according to Brink, could have far-reaching consequences for the world: “If Putin succeeds”, she writes, “it sends signals to China that will undermine the security balance in Asia and throughout the world. That will have profound implications for America’s safety, security, and prosperity."
“The America I love” she argues, “the one our grandparents served, would never stand by and let such horrors happen. Or give up helping our friends. Or appease the aggressor."
Her departure marks a significant shift in U.S.-Ukraine relations, as the Trump administration has signalled a reorientation of U.S. policy away from Ukraine and towards Russia and Putin. This includes suspending over $1 billion in military aid and halting weapons shipments to Ukraine.
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