U.S. President Joe Biden formally nominated a veteran foreign service officer with years of experience in Russian affairs to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia.
The White House on September 20 announced the nomination of Lynne Tracy, the current U.S. ambassador to Armenia, to the post.
Tracy's selection had been reported earlier this month by U.S. media but had not been announced pending Russia's approval under the rules of diplomatic protocol.
Such approval is generally routine, but with U.S.-Russian relations at their lowest level in years it could not be taken for granted.
The nomination will be submitted to the Senate for approval.
Tracy, who speaks Russian, served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 2014 to 2017. She also previously held the post of senior adviser for Russian affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and served in U.S. Embassies in Central Asia.
The former U.S. ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, left on September 4. His departure had been expected but was accelerated by the failing health of his wife, who died shortly after his return to the United States.