Marie Yovanovitch

Marie Yovanovitch
Official portrait, 2015
United States Ambassador to Ukraine
In office
August 29, 2016 – May 20, 2019
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byGeoffrey Pyatt
Succeeded byBridget Brink (2022)
United States Ambassador to Armenia
In office
September 22, 2008 – June 9, 2011
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byJohn Evans
Succeeded byJohn Heffern
United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
In office
February 4, 2005 – February 4, 2008
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byStephen Young
Succeeded byTatiana Gfoeller
Personal details
Born
Marie Louise Yovanovitch

(1958-11-11) November 11, 1958 (age 66)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
National Defense University (MS)

Marie Louise "Masha" Yovanovitch (born November 11, 1958) is a Canadian-American former diplomat and retired senior member of the United States Foreign Service.[1][2] She served in multiple State Department posts, including Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2004–2005), U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan (2005–2008), U.S. Ambassador to Armenia (2008–2011), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (2012–2013), and Ambassador to Ukraine (2016–2019). Yovanovitch is a diplomat in residence at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University.[3][4] On January 31, 2020, it was reported that she had retired from the State Department.[5][6]

While ambassador to Ukraine, Yovanovitch was the target of a conspiracy-driven smear campaign, amplified by President Donald Trump and his allies.[7] In May 2019, Trump abruptly recalled Yovanovitch from her post following claims by Trump surrogates that she was undermining Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former vice president and 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden.[8][9] Yovanovitch's removal preceded a July 2019 phone call by Trump in which he attempted to pressure Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Biden.[10] Following a whistleblower complaint about the phone call and attempts to cover it up, an impeachment inquiry against Trump was initiated by the U.S. House of Representatives. Yovanovitch testified in several House committee depositions in the inquiry.[11][12]

  1. ^ "Marie L. Yovanovitch". Office of the Historian, United States Department of State. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  2. ^ Hansler, Jennifer (October 10, 2019). "Marie Yovanovitch: Meet the ambassador at the center of the Ukraine controversy". CNN. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  3. ^ LaFraniere, Sharon; Vogel, Kenneth P.; Baker, Peter (September 26, 2019). "Trump Said Ukraine Envoy Would 'Go Through Some Things.' She Has Already". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  4. ^ "Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch". Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  5. ^ Frias, Lauren (January 31, 2020). "Key witness in the impeachment inquiry Marie Yovanovitch retires from the State Department after being ousted following an apparent smear campaign". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  6. ^ "Ambassador (ret.) Marie L. Yovanovitch". ISD. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Edmondson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Andrew Desiderio; Kyle Cheney (November 15, 2019). "Defiant Yovanovitch says she was 'kneecapped' amid Trump 'smear campaign': The ousted ambassador to Ukraine delivered key testimony to impeachment investigators". Politico. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  9. ^ Colby Itkowitz & Rosalind S. Helderman (January 24, 2020). "Recording of Trump calling for Yovanovitch's ouster appears to corroborate Parnas's account". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Abigail Tracy (September 30, 2019). ""A Perfect Little Conspiracy Theory": The Sudden Recall of the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Might've Been the Beginning of the End for Trump". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  11. ^ Philip Ewing (November 15, 2019). "Ambassador Yovanovitch: Trump Comments In July Call Felt Like A 'Threat'". NPR. Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  12. ^ Abigail Tracy (November 15, 2019). ""This Is the Way Gangsters Operate": A Hero Is Born as Yovanovitch Gives Voice to Widespread Rage at State". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.