AMBASSADOR/IMPEACHMENT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UKRAINE: “Trump administration officials are taking steps to stabilize the U.S. relationship with Ukraine amid an impeachment inquiry that has badly damaged ties between the two countries. Aides to President Donald Trump are zeroing in on a new U.S. ambassador to Kyiv—a posting that’s been empty since Marie Yovanovitch was recalled earlier this year after a smear campaign spearheaded by Trump’s personal attorney. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, meanwhile, is expected to visit Ukraine next month in a show of support. The trip, confirmed by a Trump administration official, will be Pompeo’s first visit to the country as America’s top diplomat, according to a log of his travels. The murky circumstances of Yovanovitch’s ouster lie at the heart of Democrats’ probe of Trump’s conduct toward Ukraine.”
–Natasha Berrtand and Nahal Toosi, “Trump team weighs ambassador pick for Ukraine as ties fray,” Politico, December 16, 2019 5:03 pm