U.S. envoy in Ukraine to step down, but officials say no dispute with Trump

World Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Julie Davis stepping down, but officials deny reports of dispute with Trump By Aidan Stretch Aidan Stretch Reporter Aidan Stretch is a CBS News reporter based in Kyiv, Ukraine. Read Full Bio Aidan Stretch April 29, 2026 / 7:41 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Kyiv — Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Julie Davis will leave her post in June, U.S. officials have confirmed to CBS News. U.S. officials told CBS News that Davis, who has held the post in Kyiv for almost a year, during a period of abrupt shifts in American policy on Ukraine, is resigning for professional reasons rather than over any disagreements with President Trump.The Financial Times first reported her imminent departure, saying it came in response to "differences" she had with Mr. Trump. "It is false to suggest Ambassador Davis is resigning 'over differences with Donald Trump,'" State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told CBS News on Tuesday. "She is retiring after a distinguished 30-year tenure as a career foreign service officer. She will continue to proudly advance President Trump's policies until she officially departs Kyiv in June 2026 and retires from the Department."A senior U.S. official close to Davis told CBS News that she decided to resign as she did not see a path forward in the State Department consistent with her professional ambitions, and that reports of disagreements with Mr. Trump were "inaccurate." Davis assumed her role as interim chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv on May 5, 2025, following the resignation of former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink. Brink, a Democrat now running for Congress in Michigan's 7th District, wrote in an op-ed after stepping down that she "could no longer in good faith carry out the administration's policy and felt it was my duty to step down."While serving as chargé d'affaires in Kyiv, Davis remained accredited as U.S. ambassador to Cyprus, where she ha...