White House nominates new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine

President Trump has nominated retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith W. Dayton to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine – a move that he likely hopes will bring diplomatic stability to the Eastern European country that has become a center of controversy for his presidency. 

Dayton is the director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany and once served as the defense attaché in the U.S. embassy in Russia.

The full-time position has remained open since Trump recalled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch for purportedly being disloyal to him.

Trump’s attempts to persuade the Ukraine government to investigate corruption – which the president believed including former Vice President Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden’s connection to state-run gas company Burisma – led to his impeachment trial in the Democrat-controlled House. 

More recently, newly declassified documents related to Yovanovitch’s testimony during the House impeachment trial suggest she knew more about Hunter Biden and Burisma than she told Congress.

 The recently released documents suggest she was part of meetings and letters related to Burisma.

The current U.S ambassador to Ukraine, Joseph Pennington, is serving in an acting capacity.