Christopher Smith

Christopher W. Smith is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eastern Europe (EE) and Policy and Regional Affairs (PRA) in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. He served previously as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine from 2022-2023. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Smith has served overseas in Georgia, Turkey, Afghanistan (with ISAF), Cyprus, Ukraine, and Armenia as Deputy Chief of Mission. In addition to leadership positions at the State Department in Washington, Smith served as the Director for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus at the National Security Council from 2021-2022. He is a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval War College, where he earned a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies. In 2018, he received the Warren Christopher Award for Outstanding Achievement in Civilian Security as a result of his work on anti-corruption, justice sector, and law enforcement reform in Ukraine. Smith speaks Russian and Turkish.