Former US ambassador to Ukraine bulk ordered coffee mugs that said ‘F*** you Putin’

‘I think they’re just surprised because I’m, you know, a pretty staid diplomat’

Former US ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch says she bulk-ordered coffee mugs containing a special message for the Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Ms Yovanovitch, who was removed from her post by Donald Trump in 2019, said she likes to gift the “f*** you Putin” mugs to her friends.

“I’m here to tell you that your coffee in the morning tastes so much better in that mug,” she told Insider.

War in Ukraine: Follow live updates

“Everybody kind of looks at it and gasps and laughs,” she told the news site.

“I think they’re just surprised because I’m, you know, a pretty staid diplomat. They certainly wouldn’t expect me to give them a gift like that.”

Ms Yovanovitch has been on a media tour promoting her new book Lessons From the Edge, which details her time as ambassador to Ukraine, her experiences with Putin and Mr Trump, and meeting Volodymyr Zelensky when he was a presidential candidate.

Earlier this month Ms Yovanovitch wore a bracelet during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that contained the same three letter message to Putin.

“This is a made in Ukraine bracelet,” she told Mr Colbert, adding she had worn them since 2017.

“I gave them to all visitors, including our congresspeople,” she said.

Ms Yovanovitch was recalled from Ukraine after becoming the victim of a smear campaign by allies of Mr Trump during his first impeachment.

Mr Trump tried to withhold military aid to get Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son. Mr Biden was then a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here.  If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.