\New U.S. Charge d'Affaires sent to Moldova

The U.S. Embassy in Moldova has a new charge d'affaires. It is about Kevin Covert, who has earlier held this position in December 2024.

According to the U.S. Embassy, Covert is a high-ranking career diplomat and is currently seconded from the position of Director for Eastern European Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, where he is in charge of Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus.

Kevin Covert has held the positions of Director for Afghanistan Affairs, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in New Zealand, and U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Tajikistan.

Covert graduated from Cornell University, Pembroke College (Oxford), and the School of Diplomacy from Georgetown University.

He speaks Russian, Ukrainian and French, and has studied Arabic, Kazakh, Korean, Tajik, and Te Reo Māori.

The former U.S. ambassador to Chisinau, Kent Logsdon, finished his mission in  Moldova at the end of May 2024. U.S. President Joe Biden nominated the Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission to the European Union, Kelly Adams-Smith, as the American ambassador to Moldova. However, she did not come to Chisinau.

The nomination of the American diplomat was sent to the Senate on March 14, 2024. The Foreign Affairs Committee held hearings on May 9, 2024. On March 1, 2025, the nomination decision was returned to the President of the United States, since lawmakers did not make any decision regarding Kelly Adams-Smith. According to paragraph 6 of Senate Rule XXXI, if the Senate adjourns or takes a break longer than 30 days, all pending nominations on which no action was taken will be returned by the Secretary to the President and will not be considered unless they are again submitted to the Senate by the President.