President Joe Biden will nominate Lynne Tracy to serve as the US’ new ambassador to Russia, CNN reported on Wednesday. Tracy will replace John Sullivan, who has served in the role since 2019, and her nomination comes at an historic low point in relations between Washington and Moscow.
CNN cited anonymous sources in reporting Tracy’s apparent appointment, with the State Department declining to comment. Her nomination will have to be approved by Russia, and CNN noted that approval is usually given behind the scenes by a host country before an ambassador is officially announced.
Tracy is currently serving as the US’ ambassador to Armenia. A Russian speaker, she served as the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Moscow between 2014 and 2017, a post that made her Washington’s number two diplomat in Russia.
If confirmed for the job, Tracy will replace John Sullivan, who served as ambassador to Russia from 2019 until his departure from Moscow earlier this month. Prior to his return to the US, Sullivan admitted in June that relations between Moscow and Washington had hit an all-time low amid the Russian military offensive in Ukraine. This has made any productive cooperation between the countries unlikely in the short term, he added.
With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accusing NATO of waging a “war by proxy” against Russia in Ukraine, and Biden promising to keep arming Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” relations between Moscow and Washington are currently at one of the lowest points in history.