Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, is “concluding” his diplomatic mission, Russian agencies reported late on Saturday.
“Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov is concluding his Washington assignment and heading to Moscow,” Interfax agency cited a representative of the Foreign Ministry as saying.
The envoy will be returning to Moscow within hours, Vedomosti newspaper reported.
Antonov has been Russia’s ambassador in Washington since 2017.
Russian state-run news agencies TASS and Interfax on October 5 reported that Anatoly Antonov “is concluding” his stint as Russia’s ambassador to the United States and returning to his home country, citing the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. No mention was made of a successor, with the move coming at a time of high tensions between the two nations. In July, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported that Antonov had at that time suggested his term was reaching its conclusion, quoting him as saying: “My assignment is coming to an end. I hope together we will continue to defend the interests of our Fatherland!” Antonov, 69, was appointed as the Kremlin’s envoy in Washington by President Vladimir Putin in August 2017.
