William B. Taylor Jr.
William B. Taylor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 6th United States Ambassador to Ukraine | |
| Assumed office June 18, 2019 Acting, as chargé d'affaires ad interim | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Marie Yovanovitch |
| In office May 30, 2006 – May 23, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | John E. Herbst |
| Succeeded by | John F. Tefft |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1947 (age 76–77) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | United States Military Academy John F. Kennedy School of Government |
| Profession | Diplomat |
William Brockenbrough "Bill" Taylor Jr. (born 1947)[1] is an American diplomat and a former United States ambassador to Ukraine.[2] Taylor has served as the chargé d'affaires for Ukraine since June 2019.
Background
Taylor is the son of Nancy Dare (Aitcheson) and William Brockenbrough Newton Taylor.[3] His nephew (sister's son) is actor and comedian Zach Cregger. As an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, Taylor served in Vietnam and Germany.
He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1969, and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
He is married with two children.
Diplomatic career
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2018) |
Until February 2006, he was the U.S. Government's representative to the Quartet's effort to facilitate the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, led by Special Envoy James Wolfensohn in Jerusalem. The Quartet Special Envoy was responsible for the economic aspects of this disengagement.
Prior to this assignment, he served in Baghdad as Director, Iraq Reconstruction Management Office (2004–2005), in Kabul as coordinator of USG and international assistance to Afghanistan (2002–2003) and in Washington with the rank of ambassador as coordinator of USG assistance to the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (1992–2002).
Taylor served in Brussels as deputy defense advisor at the U.S. Mission to NATO, in Washington on the staff of Senator Bill Bradley, at the National Defense University and in the U.S. Department of Energy.
Taylor was confirmed as United States ambassador to Ukraine by the U.S. Senate on May 26, 2006 and was sworn in on June 5, 2006; he held the post till May 2009.[2]
On September 30, 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama nominated John Tefft as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.[4]
Taylor was appointed Special Coordinator for Middle East Transitions on September 1, 2011.
Taylor become chargé d'affaires ad interim for Ukraine in June 2019, taking over the role from the deputy chief of mission, Kristina Kvien, after Marie Yovanovitch departed Ukraine.[5]
Trump-Zelensky scandal
On October 3, 2019, it was revealed that Taylor had expressed, in text messages, concern that President Trump may have withheld aid to Ukraine unless they investigated his political opponent, Joe Biden. According to transcripts released by the house impeachment probe, Taylor on September 9 texted, "I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”
In his response to Taylor, Gordon Sondland, the United States Ambassador to the European Union, responded that the charge is "incorrect." "Bill, I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The President has been crystal clear: no quid pro quo’s of any kind. The President is trying to evaluate whether Ukraine is truly going to adopt the transparency and reforms that President Zelensk'y promised during his campaign," Sondland says. [6] He then suggested the conversation move to phone rather than text: "I suggest we stop the back and forth by text If you still have concerns I recommend you give Lisa Kenna or S a call to discuss them directly. Thanks."[7]
See also
Sources
References
- ^ "William B. Taylor Jr. - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov.
- ^ a b New U.S. ambassador Tefft arrives in Kyiv, Interfax-Ukraine, December 2, 2009.
- ^ "Congress.gov - Library of Congress". thomas.loc.gov.
- ^ Ex- US ambassador to Georgia John Tefft to lead diplomatic mission in Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine (September 30, 2009)
- ^ Bonner, Brian (2019-06-18). "Ambassador William B. Taylor returns to Ukraine to lead US mission | KyivPost - Ukraine's Global Voice". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/_cache/files/a/4/a4a91fab-99cd-4eb9-9c6c-ec1c586494b9/621801458E982E9903839ABC7404A917.chairmen-letter-on-state-departmnent-texts-10-03-19.pdf/ Chairmen Letter On State Department Texts], Members of the Intelligence, Oversight and Reform, and Foreign Affairs Committees (October 3, 2019)
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/03/us/politics/kurt-volker-impeachment.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage