The Kremlin says Russia will welcome any U.S. ambassador who displays a "firm commitment to the idea of establishing a dialogue" between Washington and Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, spoke on March 9.
He was commenting on reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Jon Huntsman, a former governor of the state of Utah, to be the U.S. ambassador to Moscow.
Huntsman was ambassador to China in 2009-2011, under President Barack Obama, and ambassador to Singapore in 1992-93.
Huntsman, 56, unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. presidency in 2012, and was a critic of Trump during the campaign last year.
Trump has called for improving Russian-U.S. relations, which have been badly strained by rancor over issues including Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, its actions in Syria, and allegations that it used hacks, leaks, and other methods to interfere in the U.S. election, in which it is widely believed to have favored Trump.
Senior officials in Trump's administration have taken a tough public stance on Russia since his inauguration on January 20.
