Christopher W. Smith

Christopher W. Smith was appointed as the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova in August 2026. He will also serve as the OSCE mediator in the Transdniestrian settlement process. Previously, Smith served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. From 2022-2023, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counsellor, 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 U.S. 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. In 2023, Christopher Smith received the James A. Baker Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) for his leadership as DCM in wartime Kyiv. Smith speaks Russian and Turkish. He is married with three children.