Robin Dunnigan, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy in the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources, has been appointed to oversee Central and Eastern European policy at the US State Department, including Ukraine. A career diplomat, she previously served as the Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy from 2014 to 2017. Dunnigan is known for her criticism of the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 project and warnings about of China’s growing soft power in Europe. She replaces Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent.