Victoria Nuland, born in 1961 in New York City, built a career as a career diplomat and politician representing the United States. A graduate of Brown University, she moved through the State Department’s Foreign Service, eventually holding the highest diplomatic rank and serving in numerous high-level roles across several presidential administrations.
Early Career and Diplomatic Foundations
Nuland began her tenure in the Foreign Service in 1984. Early postings included Guangzhou, China, in 1985 and the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in 1987. She participated in establishing the first United States embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 1988. Following this, she served on the Soviet desk until 1990 and subsequently worked on Russian internal politics at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow between 1991 and 1993, focusing on Boris Yeltsin.
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During the Clinton administration, Nuland served as chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott from 1993 to 1996, later becoming deputy director for former Soviet Union affairs. In 1998, she co-founded the Project for the New American Century. During the George W. Bush administration, she served as principal Deputy National Security Adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney from 2003 to 2005. She then served as U.S. Ambassador to NATO in Brussels from 2005 to 2008, where her focus remained on mobilizing European support for the intervention in Afghanistan.
State Department Leadership and Ukraine
During the Obama administration, Nuland became the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State in 2011, serving until 2013. She later functioned as the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs from 2013 to 2017. In this role, she managed diplomatic relations with fifty countries and various international organizations. Her work during the Maidan Uprising included facilitating loan guarantees for Ukraine and managing non-lethal military assistance. In 2014, a recorded phone conversation between Nuland and U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt became public, drawing attention for comments regarding political transitions in Ukraine.
Recent Roles and Transitions
Nuland served as the CEO of the Center for a New American Security between 2018 and 2019. In 2021, she returned to government to serve as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. From July 2023 until February 2024, she functioned as the acting deputy secretary of state. In March 2024, the Department of State announced her upcoming retirement.
Fast facts
- Born: 1961, New York City
- Education: Brown University, Choate Rosemary Hall
- Languages spoken: French, Russian, Chinese
- Diplomatic rank: Career Ambassador
- Notable honor: Order for Merits to Lithuania
- NATO role: U.S. Permanent Representative (2005-2008)
- State Department Spokesperson: 2011-2013
Questions readers ask
What was Nuland's highest diplomatic rank?
She held the rank of career ambassador, which is the highest diplomatic rank in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Which countries did Nuland serve in during her early diplomatic career?
She served in China, Mongolia, Russia, and Belgium.
Achievements
- Educated at Brown University
- Worked as diplomat and politician
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