Oleh Shamshur serves as Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States. Shamshur received a BA from Taras Shevchenko Kyiv University, Department of International Relations and International Law. He specialized in International Relations, cum laude, in 1978, and received a PhD in history from Kyiv University in 1982.
From there, Shamshur did post-graduate work at the Institute of Social and Economic Problems of Foreign Countries, Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. From 1981-1993 he worked at the Institute of Social and Economic Problems of Foreign Countries, Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. From 1984 -1989, he was Director of Programs.
In 1993, he was a visiting scholar atUniversity College, London. In addition, he served as First Secretary-Counselor of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva from 1993-1996.
From 1996-1998, he was deputy chairman of the State Committee for Nationalities and Migration of Ukraine, a member of the President’s Commission on Citizenship. After this he served as Minister-Counselor at the Embassy of Ukraine to the Benelux Countries from 1998-2003.
In October 2003, Shamshur became head of the European Union Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, a post he kept until February 2004. From that time until December 2005, he was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
He is fluent in English, French and Russian.