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List of ambassadors of Australia to Ukraine

The ambassador of Australia to Ukraine is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to Ukraine. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is currently held by Bruce Edwards since October 2020. The embassy is co-located with the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv, but has been temporarily closed due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Australian officials currently based in eastern Poland and Romania. Since 2020, the ambassador also holds non-resident accreditation for Moldova.

Ambassador of Australia to Ukraine
Incumbent
Bruce Edwards
since 4 October 2020
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
StyleHis Excellency
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
ResidenceMoscow (1992–2009)
Vienna (2009–2013)
Warsaw (2013–2014)
Kyiv (2014–2022)
Lviv (2022)
Seat13 Kostelna Street, Kyiv
NominatorPrime Minister of Australia
AppointerGovernor General of Australia
Inaugural holderCavan Hogue
(resident in Moscow)
Formation10 January 1992
WebsiteAustralian Embassy, Ukraine

Posting history

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Main article: Australia–Ukraine relations

Ukraine and Australia have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1942 when Australia opened channels with the Soviet Union (which included the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic), although independent relations did not occur until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of a fully independent Ukraine in late 1991. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, Australia acted to recognise the new states of the Commonwealth of Independent States on 26 December 1991. Non-resident accreditation to Ukraine, based with the Australian Embassy in Moscow, was later established from 10 January 1992, with the Australian Ambassador in Moscow, Cavan Hogue, presenting his credentials to the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk on 9 March 1992.[1] Accreditation was transferred to the new interim embassy established in Kyiv in November 2014 following the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine.[2] From 5 November 1992 to the opening of a resident embassy in 2014, Australia maintained a Consulate in Kyiv headed by an Honorary Consul, Serhiy Mykolayovych Berezovenko, a prominent economist and businessman based in the city.[1][3][4]

The first resident ambassador, Doug Trappett, who was previously Deputy Head of Mission in Rome, had been sent to Kyiv in December 2014 to deal with matters relating to the controversial downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which led to the deaths of 27 Australian citizens.[5][6] Trappett presented his credentials on 14 January 2015.[7]

Although initially considered an interim measure for 12 months, pending the resolution of the conflicts in the region, with the stalemating of various issues and the hardening of Ukrainian-Russian relations, the embassy's term of existence was extended in February 2016 to September 2016.[8] In September 2016, the decision was taken by foreign minister Julie Bishop to extend the embassy's term for a further two years, noting that a continued resident diplomatic presence would allow Australia: "to work alongside their Ukrainian partners in close cooperation and further develop bilateral ties between the two countries."[9]

On 13 February 2022, amid increasing tensions immediately prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Australian Embassy was relocated from the capital Kyiv to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.[10] However, on 22 February 2022, a day before the Russian invasion, Foreign Minister Marise Payne directed that all Australian officials were to leave the country and operate from eastern Poland and Romania.[11]

List of ambassadors

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# Officeholder Residency Term start date Term end date Time in office Notes
1 Cavan Hogue Moscow, Russia 10 January 1992 (1992-01-10) November 1994 (1994-11) 2 years, 9 months [12]
2 Geoffrey Bentley November 1994 (1994-11) November 1998 (1998-11) 4 years [13]
3 Ruth Pearce 18 November 1998 (1998-11-18) 29 January 2002 (2002-01-29) 3 years, 72 days [14]
4 Leslie Rowe 18 December 2002 (2002-12-18) February 2005 (2005-02) 2 years, 1 month [15]
5 Bob Tyson 28 February 2005 (2005-02-28) June 2009 (2009-06) 4 years, 3 months [16]
6 Margaret Twomey June 2008 (June 2008) 2009 (2009) 0 years [17]
7 Michael Potts Vienna, Austria 2009 (2009) 2013 (2013) 3–4 years
8 Jean Dunn Warsaw, Poland 2013 (2013) 2014 (2014) 0–1 years [18]
9 Doug Trappett Kyiv, Ukraine 12 December 2014 (2014-12-12) March 2016 (2016-03) 1 year, 2 months [5]
– Bruce Edwards (Chargé d’Affaires) March 2016 (2016-03) 30 May 2017 (2017-05-30) 1 year, 2 months [9]
10 Melissa O'Rourke 30 May 2017 (2017-05-30) 4 October 2020 (2020-10-04) 3 years, 127 days [19]
11 Bruce Edwards 4 October 2020 (2020-10-04) 13 February 2022 (2022-02-13) 4 years, 20 days [20]
Lviv, Ukraine 13 February 2022 (2022-02-13) 22 February 2022 (2022-02-22) [10]
Poland/Romania 22 February 2022 (2022-02-22) incumbent [11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Diplomatic and consular relations - First Australian ambassador to Ukraine - Opening of Australian consulate in Ukraine" (PDF). AustLII. Australian Year Book of International Law. 1992. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Political relations between Ukraine and Australia". Embassy of Ukraine in Australia. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  3. ^ Blewett, Neal (5 November 1992). "Opening of Australian consulate in Ukraine" (Media Release). ParlInfo: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Government. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  4. ^ Evdokimova, S. I. (2003). "Березовенко Сергій Миколайович (Serhiy Mykolayovych Berezovenko)". Encyclopaedia of Modern Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Kyiv: Institute of Encyclopedic Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  5. ^ a b Abbott, Tony (12 December 2014). "First Resident Ambassador to Ukraine" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  6. ^ Wroe, David (21 November 2014). "Australia to host Ukrainian leader, open embassy in Kiev". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olena Zerkal received Ambassador of Australia to Ukraine Douglas Robert Trappett". Embassy of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  8. ^ Bishop, Julie (10 February 2016). "Extension of Interim Australian Embassy in Kyiv" (Press release). Australian Government.
  9. ^ a b Bishop, Julie (29 September 2016). "Australian Government extends diplomatic presence in Ukraine" (Press release). Australian Government.
  10. ^ a b Marise, Payne (13 February 2022). "Statement on Ukraine" (Press release). Australian Government.
  11. ^ a b Marise, Payne (22 February 2022). "Australia condemns Russia's unlawful moves on eastern Ukraine" (Press release). Australian Government.
  12. ^ "First Australian ambassador to Ukraine presents his credentials" (Press release). Australian Government. 10 March 1992. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  13. ^ Evans, Gareth (19 September 1994). "Diplomatic appointment: the Russian Federation" (Press release). Australian Government.
  14. ^ Downer, Alexander (18 November 1998). "Diplomatic appointment: Ambassador to Russia" (Press release). Australian Government.
  15. ^ Downer, Alexander (18 December 2001). "Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to Russia" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  16. ^ Downer, Alexander (28 January 2005). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Russia" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  17. ^ Smith, Stephen (30 April 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Russia" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  18. ^ Rudd, Kevin (8 December 2011). "Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Poland" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015.
  19. ^ Bishop, Julie (30 May 2017). "Ambassador to Ukraine" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  20. ^ Payne, Marise (4 October 2020). "Ambassador to Ukraine" (Press release). Australian Government. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
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