Biden’s Failure to Nominate Ambassador to Ukraine ‘Borders on Diplomatic Malpractice’

President Biden has failed on numerous foreign relations fronts, and the potential Russian invasion of Ukraine unearths yet another. “President Joe Biden’s failure to nominate an ambassador to Ukraine more than a year into his presidency is raising concerns among U.S. officials and regional experts as Russia moves closer to launching a full-scale invasion,” writes the Washington Free Beacon.

Republican Representative Mike Rogers of Alabama told the outlet, “President Biden has undermined the U.S.-Ukraine relationship by failing to even nominate an ambassador to Ukraine – it is a dereliction of duty and contributes to the instability we’re seeing unfold today.” Rogers is ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.

Free Beacon notes that “without an ambassador, the Biden administration has conducted the majority of its diplomacy from Washington, D.C., causing confusion as the stand-off with Russia escalates.”

For example, last week President Biden mentioned a “minor incursion” by Russia would likely be tolerated. In response, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted, “There are no minor incursions.”

Brad Bowman, a former Senate defense adviser who serves as a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Military and Political Power said “it is a horrible time for the United States to not have a Senate-confirmed ambassador in Kyiv.”

“A year into the Biden administration, there is zero excuse for the White House’s failure to nominate someone” added Bowman. “Deputy chiefs of mission can be incredibly effective, but there is simply no substitute for an ambassador…the Senate can be slow in confirming nominees, but you can’t blame the Senate if you haven’t even nominated someone. This borders on diplomatic malpractice by the Biden administration.”