New U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt arrived in Kyiv on Saturday to perform his mission, reads a statement posted on the Web site of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.

According to the statement, Pyatt, a Senior Foreign Service officer, arrived in Kyiv on August 3, 2013 as the eighth U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Before his appointment Pyatt stated that he intended to urge the Ukrainian government to take immediate actions in order to use its historic opportunity to integrate with the European Union and fulfill the EU's requirements for the signing of the Association Agreement. He also stressed that he would let Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych know that Ukraine will not manage to get closer to the EU if former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is not released from prison.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Tefft has held the post since November 20, 2009.