Her candidacy was submitted for approval by the US President Donald Trump in May. On December 15, the Senate approved the candidacy of the diplomat Julie Fisher for the post of the US representative in Belarus.
Fischer will become the first American diplomat in Minsk since 2008. Karen Stewart, who previously held this post, was recalled from Belarus in 2008 in response to the actions of Minsk, which recalled its ambassador, Mikhail Khvostov, from Washington. The reason was the imposition of US sanctions against Belarusian companies.
Julie Fisher previously served as US Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO and US Charge d’Affaires in Russia. She also worked in the American embassies in Georgia and Ukraine.
In July, the head of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Kravchenko as Belarusian Ambassador to the United States.