MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, who is likely to become the next US ambassador to Russia, may fly to Moscow in coming days, US diplomatic sources told a Russian newspaper.
The Republican moved closer to Senate approval on Tuesday when he received the endorsement from its Foreign Relations Committee.
Unnamed US sources told the Izvestiya newspaper that the 57-year-old hoped to move into the US embassy by October 3, in time for the next ceremony in the Kremlin where foreign diplomats present their credentials. Another opportunity will come up only in November.
US diplomats said Huntsman planned to arrive in Moscow by next Tuesday even with approval by the full Senate still pending, but his powers as an ambassador would be limited.
Jon Huntsman has held the position of the top US diplomat in Singapore and China and served as deputy US trade representative under President George W. Bush before becoming the governor of Utah in 2005.
