(Adnkronos) – The positions of 115 US ambassadors worldwide remain vacant, out of a total of 195, as American President Donald Trump has not yet appointed them almost 18 months after returning to the White House. The Wall Street Journal writes this, citing the American Foreign Service Association union and some officials, both current and retired, who say it is an unprecedented situation that limits Washington’s diplomatic power abroad. This applies to the Middle East, where the United States is working to end the war with Iran, consolidate peace in Gaza, and try to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Here, the Wall Street Journal writes, the United States does not have ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, or Kuwait. In Africa, moreover, 37 of the 51 US embassies on the continent do not have an ambassador.
Even in Ukraine and Russia, the United States does not have an ambassador, and Trump relies on his special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv. Chargé d’affaires Julie Davis is currently serving as interim US ambassador in Kyiv, in addition to her role as US ambassador to Cyprus, but according to official sources, she will retire from the State Department in June.
The vacant posts are due to a combination of factors, the Wall Street Journal writes. Trump has been slow to appoint ambassadors, and nominations often face delays due to the increasingly cumbersome Senate confirmation process. The decision by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in December to suddenly recall nearly 30 career ambassadors also contributed to the unprecedented number of vacancies.
According to long-serving diplomats, the cumulative effect of so many vacant ambassadorial posts translates into a significant, albeit widespread, impact on US foreign policy. “It significantly limits an administration’s ability to respond to crises and to communicate effectively with the highest levels of foreign governments,” said Tom Shannon, a former high-ranking career diplomat who served as the third most important official in the State Department during both the Obama administration and the first Trump administration.
