The Embassy of the United States in Kyiv is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America to Ukraine.
History
Previous building (former office of Communist Party) of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv from 1992 to 2012
The United States recognized the independence of Ukraine on December 26, 1991, and opened an embassy in its capital, Kyiv, on January 22, 1992. This first embassy was located in the former regional office of the Communist Party of Ukraine for Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi District that was confiscated from the Communists soon after the 1991 August putsch in Moscow. That building was erected sometime in the 1950s on the grounds of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on present day 10 Volodymyr Vynnychenko Street, destroyed by the Soviets in 1935. This was in the mold of other newly independent states in Eastern Europe, where former Communist Party offices were chosen as they were often cheap and expansive enough for the newly needed embassies.
In 2012, the embassy moved to its current 4.5 hectare (11.1 acres) location, acquired for $247 million. The embassy is on Igor Sikorsky Street, close to Kyiv’s western outskirts, and 15 minutes walk from Beresteiska station. Previously known as Tankova Street, the street was renamed by the City Council after Ukrainian-born aircraft design engineer Igor Sikorsky, due to a request from the embassy.
On June 8, 2017, a blast occurred outside the embassy.
During the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, the embassy moved to Lviv, closer to the western border of the country with Poland, and adopted other security measures. As military buildup and tensions continued to rise, the embassy was relocated to Poland a couple days before Russia launched a full-scale invasion.
Picketing
Since 2004, the embassy has been picketed annually on April 8 by the “Institute Republic” group of human rights activist Volodymyr Chemerys, due to the refusal of the US government to pay compensation for the death of Ukrainian journalist Taras Protsyuk, who perished in 2003 during the Iraq War.
Staff
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv is staffed by approximately 181 Americans and more than 560 Ukrainians.
The current Chief of Mission, as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, is Kristina Kvien.
Key U.S. Embassy officials include:
- Deputy Chief of Mission
- Political Counselor
- Economic Counselor
- Public Affairs Counselor
- Consul General
- Management Counselor
- Commercial Officer
- USAID Mission Director
- Regional Security Officer
- Department of Energy Director
- Agricultural Attaché
- Defense Attaché
- Peace Corps Director
List of chiefs of mission
| N | Country | Ukrainian | Ambassadors | Image | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # |  United States |
Джон Ґундерсен | Jon Gundersen |  |
1992 Chargé d’Affaires |
| 1 | United States |
Роман Попадюк | Roman Popadiuk |  |
1992–1993 |
| 2 | United States |
Вільям Ґрін Міллер | William Green Miller |  |
1993–1998 |
| 3 | United States |
Стівен Карл Пайфер | Steven Karl Pifer |  |
1998–2000 |
| 4 | United States |
Карлос Паскуаль | Carlos Pascual |  |
2000–2003 |
| 5 | United States |
Джон Едвард Гербст | John E. Herbst |  |
2003–2006 |
| 6 | United States |
Вільям Тейлор | William B. Taylor Jr. |  |
2006–2009 |
| 7 | United States |
Джон Теффт | John F. Tefft |  |
2009–2013 |
| 8 | United States |
Джеффрі Пайєтт | Geoffrey R. Pyatt |  |
2013–2016 |
| 9 | United States |
Марі Йованович | Marie Yovanovitch |  |
2016–2019 |
| # | United States |
Джозеф Пеннінгтон | Joseph Pennington |  |
2019 Acting Chargé d’Affaires |
| # | United States |
Крістіна Квін | Kristina Kvien |  |
2019 Chargé d’Affaires |
| # | United States |
Вільям Тейлор | William B. Taylor Jr. |  |
2019–2020 Chargé d’Affaires |
| # | United States |
Крістіна Квін | Kristina Kvien |  |
2020–present Chargé d’Affaires |