Kimberly Guilfoyle was at the ambassadorial residence when news of her dismissal from the US Embassy in Athens arrived, according to reliable sources speaking to parapolitika.gr. Ms. Guilfoyle was informed of President Donald Trump’s decision through official channels, as protocol requires, shortly before the official statement from White House Press Secretary Katie Zaharia.
Regarding the departure process, embassy sources told parapolitika.gr that protocol grants the outgoing ambassador two weeks to formally accept the White House’s request to step down and submit her official resignation. During this two-week window, the process of designating US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Josh Huck as acting ambassador is also expected to unfold — a role he would hold until a Senate-confirmed replacement is appointed. Josh Huck is a seasoned diplomat with deep expertise in Southeastern European affairs. According to Eddie Zemenides — Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) — the most likely scenario is that Washington will not appoint a new ambassador to Greece at all, but will instead leave Huck in place. As Zemenides explained, “there are 90 countries without a US ambassador. Just like in those countries, Mr. Huck will carry out all ambassadorial duties in Greece without holding the title. He will serve as Chargé d’Affaires.”
Eddie Zemenides: “US-Greece relations are critically important”
Zemenides argues that “US-Greece relations are critically important, primarily because of the two ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Moreover, the progress made this decade in Greek-American relations is unmatched anywhere else and represents one of the greatest achievements of US foreign policy. Just ten years ago, there were real questions in Washington about whether Greece was a reliable ally. Now we’ve moved from ‘pillar of stability’ — as Mike Pompeo put it — to ‘indispensable ally,’ as Marco Rubio said. But even though Rubio’s visit to Athens sent that message loud and clear, someone needs to manage this relationship. These ties need people who can handle these issues without any doubt or question about what they’re doing and why. I think the President’s decision was 100% correct.” According to Zemenides, the Kimberly Guilfoyle affair is far from over. A statement from Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee signals that they have launched their own investigation into the matter.
John Sitilides: “Greece is Washington’s most critical ally”
John Sitilides — Senior Fellow for Global Risk at the Center for the National Interest and former diplomatic adviser to the State Department — commenting on Kimberly Guilfoyle’s removal from the US Embassy in Greece, argues that “Greece is Washington’s most critical ally — a military partner within NATO and the EU, as well as an economic partner — with a pivotal strategic location and a historically proven track record of reliability in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southern Europe. It serves as the tip of the spear for transatlantic engagement amid an arc of crises stretching from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Turkish neo-Ottomanism in Syria and Iraq, to the reshaping of regional alliances, energy networks, and supply corridors across the Middle East and the Levant, the disruption of Red Sea navigation through the Suez Canal, and the ongoing civil war in Libya. The Trump administration will best advance US-Greece relations and secure our geopolitical interests in this complex and volatile regional cauldron by selecting a new ambassador who is a professional diplomat — one capable of skillfully and strategically navigating the full spectrum of American policy priorities.”
“No comment” from Athens on Guilfoyle — what diplomatic sources say about notification from the US
It is worth noting that as of late last night, Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received no official notification — neither through diplomatic channels nor verbally — regarding Guilfoyle’s dismissal. When relevant sources were asked to comment, they responded simply: “No comment.” Diplomatic sources added that “this is a matter for the US administration, and we are awaiting official notification from the American side.”
