New Delhi, Aug. 4 -- Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, was dismissed Monday by presidential decree, opening a vacancy in Washington at a moment when Kyiv is navigating the most consequential phase of its American diplomatic relationship in years.

a dismissal by decree and a claim of voluntary departure - is the kind of ambiguity that Kyiv's government reshuffles tend to produce, and this one is no exception.

The dismissal is part of a broader reshaping of Ukraine's government that began in mid-July with the removal of Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko. Speculation about Stefanishyna's departure had been circulating since the reshuffle started, and her removal Monday confirmed what multiple sources close to the...