A former MP of the Verkhovna Rada cited the reason for Umerov’s rejection from being appointed Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S.

Rustem Umerov did not become Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States due to his American citizenship.

This was claimed by former Verkhovna Rada deputy Ihor Mosiychuk on his Telegram channel.

According to his information, the U.S. State Department informed Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of this issue. Under U.S. law, an American citizen cannot represent another country in the United States.

It should be noted that there is no official confirmation of Umerov’s U.S. citizenship, although his family has reportedly lived in the U.S. for a long time.

Earlier, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak also wrote that Washington had declined to approve Umerov’s appointment.

Meanwhile, according to the Presidential Office’s version, which was shared by media outlets close to the Office, Umerov was kept in Ukraine to continue leading the negotiation team with Russia — a role he could not perform if appointed ambassador to the U.S.

The fact that this explanation was circulated by the Presidential Office suggests that Kyiv has not entirely abandoned the idea of continuing negotiations with Russia.

Recall that instead of Umerov, President Zelensky nominated former Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States.