ProNews on Kimberly Guilfoyle: Why the new style of American diplomacy is irritating Athens

The appointment of Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle as US ambassador to Greece even before her arrival became a prominent political story in Athens. For government supporters, this is a chance to strengthen ties with the new Donald Trump administration.

For critics of the Kyriakos Mitsotakis cabinet, as ProNews writes in the “Provocateur” section, this may be a reminder that people, priorities and the tone of conversation have changed in Washington.

Guilfoyle is known not only as a Trump diplomatic appointee, but also as a public figure in the American conservative community: a former television host, lawyer and active participant in Republican campaigns. In Greece, her arrival is discussed with increased attention, as if it was not an ambassador who was going to Athens, but a character from a political show who had been issued a diplomatic passport.

Not just an ambassador, but a signal from Washington

Outwardly, the appointment looks like a normal procedure: the United States sends a new ambassador to Athens, Greece receives a representative of an ally. But in reality, diplomatic appointments by the new Trump administration are rarely seen as pure bureaucracy.

Guilfoyle is considered a person from the close political circle of the US President. Therefore, her work in Athens will inevitably be seen both as a channel of direct communication with the White House, and as an indicator of how capable the current Greek government is of maintaining the same level of trust in Washington.

Under Joe Biden, the Mitsotakis cabinet has built a stable relationship with the American administration: defense cooperation, bases, energy routes, support for Ukraine, expansion of military agreements. But a change of power in the United States always means a change of intonation. Especially when Trump returns to the White House, not too inclined to continue someone else’s policies just because they have already been started.

Türkiye, the Aegean and old Greek troubles

The main question for Athens remains the same: how the new US administration will build a balance between Greece and Turkey. At the same time, Türkiye remains a major NATO player for Washington, an important country in the Black Sea, the Middle East and the Caucasus. This means that American policy in the region will almost inevitably try not to choose sides, but to hold both.

For Greece, this formula sounds alarming. Athens is mindful that in times of tension in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, allies often call for “restraint on both sides,” even when Ankara raises questions about the sovereignty of the Greek islands, expands the rhetoric about “gray zones” or maintains a casus belli in case of expansion of Greek territorial waters.

That is why the future position of the US ambassador will be assessed not by protocol smiles and receptions, but by how clearly Washington is ready to speak about international law, borders and threats against Greece.

F-35, F-16 and diplomacy of interests

Military cooperation remains one of the main themes of Greek-American relations. Greece is pushing forward with its F-35 acquisition program, modernizing its military and emphasizing the country’s role as a reliable US ally in the region.

At the same time, Washington continues relations with Turkey, including around the modernization of Turkish F-16s. This is always a sensitive topic for Athens: weapons are supplied to a NATO ally, but that ally regularly uses war rhetoric against another NATO country. Geopolitics, as usual, tries to look rational until it starts to smell like gunpowder and double standards.

Against this backdrop, Guilfoyle will have to work in an environment where personal proximity to Trump may trump traditional diplomatic caution. For Greece, this is both an opportunity and a risk: direct access to the White House is useful, but it does not guarantee that the American administration will make decisions in the interests of Athens.

Energy and the role of Greece on the map of the region

Another important line is related to energy. Greece is seeking to consolidate its role as the energy hub of South-East Europe: LNG terminals, connections to the Balkans, gas and electricity supply projects, port and logistics development.

For the United States, this strategy is also important because it is related to reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian energy resources and the presence of American LNG in the European market. However, energy has long ceased to be just an economy. This is simultaneously influence, security, military infrastructure and the struggle for control of routes.

The new ambassador’s work will therefore involve not only diplomatic meetings, but also major commercial interests, defense agreements and regional alliances. In such matters, fine speeches about friendship usually end where billion-dollar contracts begin. Humanity is surprisingly consistent: first it talks about values, then it takes out a calculator.

What does her arrival mean for the Mitsotakis government?

For the Mitsotakis cabinet, the appearance of a person close to Trump in Athens will be a test of flexibility. The government has relied on close cooperation with the United States, but now it will have to convince the new administration that Greece remains a useful and reliable partner regardless of who occupies the White House.

The problem is that relations with Trump cannot be built only through the usual diplomatic channels. His policies are often based on personal contacts, direct deals, public pressure and the ability of partners to prove their practical worth.

It is in this context that Guilfoyle’s appointment takes on wider significance. She comes to a country where the government expects to maintain a strategic partnership with the United States, but where at the same time there is growing anxiety about Turkey, the war in the Middle East, instability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the unpredictability of American politics itself.

Ambassador with a reputation as a public figure

Kimberly Guilfoyle has already attracted the attention of the Greek media with her flamboyant style, publicity and connections with Trump’s entourage. To some audiences, she looks like an unusual choice for a diplomatic mission. For another part, this is a sign that the new US administration prefers to send people whom the president personally trusts to key countries.

In Athens, she will have to quickly prove that behind television visibility and political showmanship lies the ability to conduct complex diplomacy. Greece is not a secondary destination: the interests of the United States, Turkey, EUIsrael, Cyprus, the Balkans and the Middle East.

According to ProNews, Guilfoyle’s appointment can be seen as a kind of Trump’s “response” to the course of the Greek government, which felt too confident in its relations with the previous American administration. How fair this assessment is will be shown not by the first official reception or photographs at the Acropolis, but by Washington’s real decisions on Turkey, defense, energy and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In the meantime, Athens is preparing for the arrival of a new US ambassador. And they probably understand: in diplomacy, sometimes it’s not just the person at the embassy that changes. The entire weather over the capital is changing, although the umbrella in official photographs remains the same.

Source: ProNews, “Provocateur” section.

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