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| Victoria Nuland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Spokesperson for the United States Department of State | |
| In office May 31, 2011 – February 11, 2013 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Philip J. Crowley |
| Succeeded by | Jennifer Psaki |
| 18th United States Permanent Representative to NATO | |
| In office June 20, 2005 – May 2, 2008 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | R. Nicholas Burns |
| Succeeded by | Kurt Volker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Victoria Jane Nuland 1961 (age 63–64) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | Robert Kagan |
| Alma mater | Brown University |
| Profession | Diplomat |
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Victoria Jane Nuland (born 1961) is the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State.
Early life and education
Nuland is the daughter of Yale bioethics and medicine professor Sherwin B. Nuland, whose original surname was Nudelman. Victoria’s paternal grandfather was Meyer Nudelman from a family of Jewish immigrants who came to New York City from the Russian Empire.
Victoria Nuland graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in 1979 and has a B.A. from Brown University. Nuland speaks Russian, French, and a little Chinese. Nuland has two children. Nuland’s husband is historian Robert Kagan, Council on Foreign Relations member, and co-founder of the think-tank "Project for the New American Century" (PNAC).
Career
During the Bill Clinton administration, Nuland was chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott before moving on to serve as deputy director for former Soviet Union affairs.
She served as the principal deputy foreign policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney and then as U.S. ambassador to NATO.
Nuland became special envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and then became State Department spokesperson in summer 2011.
Assistant Secretary
She was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in May 2013 and sworn in to fill that role in September 2013. During her confirmation hearings, she faced "sharp questions" about a memo she had sent outlining the talking points that would be used by the Obama administration in the days shortly after the 2012 Benghazi attack.
Controversial reference to the EU in recorded phone conversation
In February 2014, a recording of a phone call between Nuland and U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt was leaked. The call is believed to have been intercepted and publicized by Russian agents.
Nuland can be heard making an obscene reference to the European Union, which caused a diplomatic scandal when one version of her January 28, 2014 telephone conversation with the United States Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey R. Pyatt, was broadcast on YouTube.
According to Anne Gearan
was dismissively referring to slow-moving European efforts to address political paralysis and a looming fiscal crisis in Ukraine. But it was the blunt nature of her remarks, rather than U.S. diplomatic calculations, that seemed exceptional.
Nuland also assessed the political skills of Ukrainian opposition figures with unusual candor and, along with the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, debated strategy for their cause, laying bare a deep degree of U.S. involvement in affairs that Washington officially says are Ukraine’s to resolve.
Subsequently, in one version of the call, Nuland stated that she preferred the United Nations as mediator, instead of the European Union, adding "Fuck the EU" and Pyatt responded, "Oh, exactly ...".
"She has been in contact with her EU counterparts, and of course has apologized", said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who had also acknowledged the authenticity of the recording.
Initially, Catherine Ashton, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief, stated on the same day that the EU would not comment on a "leaked alleged" conversation. The next day a spokeswoman, Christiane Wirtz, stated that German Chancellor Angela Merkel termed Nuland's remark "absolutely unacceptable". Furthermore, the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, has also condemned the remark as "unacceptable".
References
- "Bureau of Public Affairs Front Office Changes".
- Nuland, Sherwin B. Lost in America: A Journey with My Father
- "Victoria Nuland to be State Department spokesman". Foreign Policy. May 16, 2011.
- "Obama nominates Nuland for assistant secretary of state". Politico. May 23, 2013..
- "Nominee Nuland Takes Heat Over Benghazi at Hearing - Washington Wire - WSJ". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ DOINA CHIACU AND ARSHAD MOHAMMED (Feb 6, 2014). "Leaked audio reveals embarrassing U.S. exchange on Ukraine, EU". Reuters. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- "BBC News - Victoria Nuland: Leaked phone call 'impressive tradecraft'". BBC Online. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- Ed Pilkington, Luke Harding and agencies (7 February 2014). "Angela Merkel: Victoria Nuland's remarks on EU are unacceptable". Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ Leaked audio reveals embarrassing US exchange on Ukraine, EU, Reuters (6 February 2014)
- Gearan, Anne. In recording of U.S. diplomat, blunt talk on Ukraine, Washington Post, February 6, 2014.
- Ukraine crisis: Transcript of leaked Nuland-Pyatt call, BBC News (7 February 2014)
- "Top US diplomat for Europe caught swearing about EU". news.yahoo.com. AFP. February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- Atlas, Terry; Gaouette, Nicole (February 6, 2013). / "Intercepted Phone Call Shows U.S. Role in Ukraine". bloomberg.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "Top US diplomat for Europe sorry for cursing the EU". news.yahoo.com. AFP. February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- Gearan, Anne. In recording of U.S. diplomat, blunt talk on Ukraine, Washington Post, February 6, 2014.
- Angela Merkel: Victoria Nuland's remarks on EU are unacceptable, The Guardian (7 February 2014)
- Template:Fr icon Sylvie Kauffmann, Les cinq leçons du « fuck the EU ! » d'une diplomate américaine, Le Monde, 9 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-09
External links
- Official biography at the U.S. State Department
- Official biography at the U.S. State Department (2008 archive)
- Official biography at the U.S. NATO Mission website
- Template:Worldcat id
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byR. Nicholas Burns | U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO 2005–2008 |
Succeeded byKurt Volker |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded byPhilip Gordon | Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs 18 September 2013– incumbent |
Succeeded byincumbent |
