New Ambassador to the U.S. from Russia to Begin Official Duties Early Next Week

Lin Tracy to Submit Credentials Next Week
Russian Foreign Ministry: "No Improvement in Bilateral Relations Expected"

Newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy will present her credentials to Russia early next week and officially begin her duties. According to Sputnik News on the 28th (local time), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Ambassador Tracy plans to submit her credentials after a meeting early next week.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Tracy, the first female U.S. Ambassador to Russia, is known as a Russia expert. From 2014 to 2017, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Russia and was a senior advisor on Russia at the State Department. She is also reported to be proficient in Russian. She has held positions such as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asia in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department and Director for Central Asia at the White House National Security Council (NSC). However, with bilateral relations severely deteriorated, a difficult path is expected.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing the previous day, "Amid the U.S. conducting a 'hybrid war' against Russia, the new U.S. ambassador will not be able to improve bilateral relations." She added, "Russia does not encourage interference in its internal affairs by the U.S. ambassador," and predicted, "Due to intense anti-Russian sentiment in the U.S., Ambassador Tracy's scope of activity will be limited." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also stated on the 20th, "With nearly half of U.S. President Joe Biden's term elapsed, bilateral relations are at their worst," and assessed, "There is no room for improvement."

Recently, tensions between the two countries have further escalated following President Biden's announcement to provide thirty-one M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Some analysts argue that after President Putin ordered the invasion, relations between the two countries have plummeted to Cold War levels.