LONDON (Reuters) -The British government on Thursday named Martin Harris as the country’s next ambassador to Ukraine.
Harris, who was previously Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General in Kyiv between 2003 and 2008, had most recently been the Foreign Office’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
“I am delighted to be returning to Ukraine to lead our Embassy’s vital work in supporting the Ukrainian government and people as they defend their country and our common values,” Harris said in a statement on his appointment.
Harris also previously spent time in Moscow, serving as Britain’s Deputy Head of Mission there from 2014 to 2017.
Britain’s outgoing ambassador to Kyiv, Melinda Simmons, who was appointed to the role in 2019, will take up another diplomatic service appointment, the government said in a statement.
Simmons said on Twitter she would be leaving Ukraine at the end of August. Harris is due to take up his post in September.
(Reporting by Muvija M, writing by Farouq Suleiman, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)