Karen Donfried to step down

ArmInfo. The top U.S. diplomat to Europe Karen Donfried will step down to focus on her family, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday, leaving an important post empty as Washington works to keep its allies focused on supporting Ukraine's war effort, Reuters reports.

According to the source, "The 18-month tenure of Assistant Secretary  Donfried, who assumed the role in September 2021, has been marked by  the biggest conflict in Europe since the World War Two and the U.S.   push to form and solidify a unified Western position against Russia.    She has been among U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's key  aides, traveling frequently to Europe to meet with U.S. partners as  President Joe Biden sought to repair and re-energize transatlantic  ties damaged by the unilateral approach of former president Donald  Trump's administration.  In one of her last high-level meetings at  the State Department, she confronted Russia's top diplomat in  Washington, when he was summoned last Tuesday following the crash of  a U.S. drone over the Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian  jets.  The incident, the first known direct confrontation between  Washington and Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine, has further  damaged already tense ties between the two former Cold War foes.  

She was set to leave her post at the end of March, the Department  spokesperson said. No decision has been made yet on her successor to  oversee the Bureau of Europe and Eurasian Affairs which covers 50  countries that stretch from the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan.  "Karen  has deftly managed our relationships with many of our most important  allies and partners at a time when Kremlin aggression threatened  decades of peace and prosperity," Blinken said in a statement seen by  Reuters ahead of publication.  "Her policy acumen, integrity, and  drive defined her leadership as Assistant Secretary and represent the  highest values of public service," Blinken added," the source notes.