The Pacific Council on International Policy invites you to an intimate cocktail reception on Wednesday, May 27, at 5:30 PT, featuring a conversation with Ambassador (ret.) Bridget Brink, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2022 to 2025. Over three years in Kyiv, Amb. Brink championed U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and served as a steadfast advocate for the country's sovereignty amid Russia's full-scale invasion. 

The conversation will be moderated by Ambassador (ret.) Kristina Kvien, President & CEO of the Pacific Council. Together, they will examine the current state of the Russia-Ukraine war, the prospects for a durable peace, and what sustained American engagement in Europe's security architecture could look like moving forward.

This event is open to Sustaining Members. Interested guests may join the waitlist by contacting events@pacificcouncil.org. Location details will be shared upon registration.

Why it's important

• On May 8, 2026, President Trump announced a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, timed to Russia's World War II Victory Day celebrations. The truce expired without a clear path forward, highlighting the fragility of the current diplomatic moment.
• After four years of war, peace negotiations remain fractured across military, political, economic, territorial, and security tracks, with progress on each dependent on the others. No single thread has proven sufficient to hold.
• Since Amb. Brink's resignation, the U.S. ambassador post in Kyiv has been officially vacant, and her successor as chargé d'affaires has also stepped down, with no timeline for a permanent nomination. The compounding absence of American diplomatic leadership in Kyiv raises serious questions about the credibility of the U.S. commitment to Ukraine.

Guest Speaker

Ambassador (ret.) Bridget Brink served the American people for nearly 28 years in the U.S. Foreign Service under five U.S. Presidents. As a national security leader, she focused on deepening partnerships with Europe, beginning her career helping end the Balkan wars and spending decades supporting young democracies and free markets following the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Bridget served as a Director on President Obama's National Security Council. She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2018 as U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, and again in 2022 as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine — becoming the first woman to serve as a U.S. Ambassador in a war zone. She rose to the rank of Career Minister, a three-star general equivalent, and received the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy.

Leading the on-the-ground American effort in wartime Ukraine, Bridget oversaw $100 billion in taxpayer assistance, earned recognition for her anti-corruption work, and helped enable Ukraine to reclaim 50% of Russian-seized territory. She resigned as Ambassador in opposition to the Trump Administration's policy of appeasing Putin following Russia's full-scale invasion.

Bridget lives in Lansing with her husband, their two sons, and rescue dog.

Presider

Ambassador (ret.) Kristina Kvien assumed the role of President and CEO of Pacific Council in March, 2026.

Previously, she spent over three decades as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.  She retired as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor. From 2023-2026, she served as the tenth U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia.  From 2019-2022, she served as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy Ukraine, leading evacuation of the Embassy shortly before Russia’s further invasion in 2022 and return to the Embassy in May 2022. For her work in Ukraine, Ambassador Kvien received the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy.

Ambassador Kvien has dedicated her career to deepening U.S. relations with Europe and Southeast Asia.  She served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Paris; Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Bangkok; Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy London; and Director for European Union, Ukraine, and Belarus Affairs at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President. Ambassador Kvien earlier served at U.S. Embassy Moscow; the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels; U.S. Embassy Manila; and Washington DC, where she worked on European Union issues and bilateral relations with Slovenia.

Ambassador Kvien was born and raised in California, with a BA in Political Science from Occidental College and an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.  Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she worked in the Sales Presentation Department at the Los Angeles Times.

 

This event is open to Sustaining Members. Interested guests may join the waitlist by contacting events@pacificcouncil.org. Location details will be shared upon registration.