New U.S. chargé d'affaires begins work in Kyiv

American diplomat Paul Houston has begun work in Kyiv as the new Chargé d'Affaires of the United States in Ukraine. He began his mission by participating in the National Prayer Breakfast of Ukraine. The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine reported this.

Houston noted that the event was dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. According to him, religious freedom is one of the fundamental freedoms of the United States and a necessary foundation for peace.

"I look forward to working to advance freedom and peace as the long-term Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv", the diplomat stated.

As noted in Houston's biography on the embassy's website, he is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor.

Prior to his appointment to Ukraine, Houston served as Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Niamey, the capital of Niger. There he managed diplomatic work and embassy operations during a challenging period in U.S.-Niger relations.

The diplomat previously held leadership positions in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security at the U.S. Department of State, where he worked on threat investigations and analysis, and also participated in coordinating intelligence work, investigations, and crisis response.

Houston also worked at U.S. diplomatic missions in Germany, Jordan, Haiti, and Serbia, as well as at the U.S. Mission to the UN in Moscow. He speaks German and Arabic.

Based on materials from: U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, U.S. Embassy website