Russia Will 'Wait' Before Judging US Ambassador to Russia Nominee Huntsman

It is too early to make judgments on Jon Huntsman, who is expected to be nominated as US ambassador to Russia, as he has not yet been appointed to the new position, Russian Federation Council chairwoman Valentina Matvienko said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Huntsman, a former Utah governor, as US ambassador to Russia. US media reported that the White House offered the ambassadorship to Huntsman in early March, but the reports received no official confirmation at that time.

"Let’s wait for exact deeds from [Huntsman]," Matvienko told reporters, calling to refrain from "labeling" the diplomat.

The speaker recalled her own tenure as ambassador to Malta and Greece in 1990s and stressed that improvement of bilateral ties between countries is one of ambassadors' duties.

"[Huntsman] is an experienced diplomat and has great experience in the diplomatic work which is already great," Matvienko added.