US ambassador leaves Russia, will retire amid historic tensions
September 5, 2022, 8:13 am

US ambassador leaves Russia, will retire amid historic tensions

A Russian flag flying next to the US embassy building in Moscow. (AFP)

Amid massive tensions between Russia and the United States, US Ambassador John J Sullivan has left Moscow to retire, the US Embassy announced Sunday (Sep 4).

Sullivan departs amid a period of heightened tensions between the US and Russia not seen in decades.

The diplomat, appointed in December 2019 by then US president Donald Trump, has completed his assignment after nearly three years, the US embassy in Moscow announced.

“U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation John J. Sullivan has concluded his tenure as U.S. envoy and departed Moscow today,” the US Embassy in Russia said in a press statement Sunday.

“Ambassador Sullivan was appointed in December 2019 and has served as Ambassador for almost three years,” the statement read. “Following his departure, he will retire from a career in public service that has spanned four decades and five U.S. presidents, including service as the Deputy Secretary of State and in senior positions at the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Commerce.”

The embassy added that Elizabeth Rood will take over as chargé d’affaires until a successor takes over.

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John Sullivan

Sullivan, who had repeatedly sharply criticized Russian policy, had also served as US deputy secretary of state.

On Saturday (Sep 3), Sullivan had paid his last respects to the late Nobel Peace laureate Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow with thousands of mourners. The diplomat repeatedly addressed authoritarian tendencies, judicial arbitrariness and the violation of human rights in Russia.

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Last year, Sullivan had already returned to his home country for three months following an escalation of tensions between Russia and the US.

He only resumed his official duties in the Russian capital after a summit meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden in Geneva in June last year.

In the course of sanctions and counter-sanctions, the US and Russia have had to massively reduce staffing at their embassies.

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