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At the beginning of this week, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin appointed Anatoly I. Antonov, 62, as the new ambassador to the United States. The new Russian representative is actually a veteran diplomat who is going to replace the former envoy in the middle of a controversial investigation of Russian officials being involved in American presidential elections in 2016.
Sergey Kislyak Will Step Down as the Russian Envoy in the U.S. Mostly Due to Allegations of Influencing American Elections
On Monday, the spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry announced that Vladimir Putin chose Anatoly I. Antonov as the U.S. ambassador. He is also a former deputy defense minister which is an unusual curriculum entry for any ambassador. On top of that, the European Union issued sanctions for this character.
The veteran diplomat will officially occupy his new position as of September 1st. At the same time, Sergey I. Kislyak, 66, will withdraw from his nine-year-old career as the Russian envoy to the United States.
He was supposedly involved in influencing the presidential elections within his hosting country by appearing for several meetings with Trump protégés. Since then, many officials started avoiding him in Washington since the start of an investigation into his relationship with Donald Trump and his allies.
The Veteran Diplomat Is Described as a Determined Negotiator with Vast Expertise in Military Domain
Antonov worked for 30 years within the Russian diplomatic service. His colleagues describe him as a tenacious negotiator yet at the same time he as a side of a realist that made him appear outspoken about the imperative of a strong relationship between Russia and the United States.
During his time at the Ministry of Defense, Antonov ended up taking decisions regarding the war in Syria. A prestigious writer in Russia, Vladimir Frolov, stated that the diplomat might have gathered solid knowledge even about North Korea’s missile program.
“He is a smart, savvy guy, very competent.”
At the time of this announcement, the U.S. Embassy in Russia was just suspending for a limited period of time the issue of visas. The move was merely a reiteration of the same decision Russia had taken beforehand.
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Germaine Hicks
Germaine is an avid sports fan and as such, he decided on his current career path with the idea in mind that he would never, ever miss a Yankee game. Until now, he managed to make good on that promise. As you’ve probably guessed, he’s our go-to sports guy.
