MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Antonov will fly out to Washington on August 31 to take up the position of Russia's ambassador to the United States, a media outlet reported Wednesday.
Antonov is expected to accede to the position on September 1 officially, the Russian Kommersant newspaper reported, citing sources. Washington endorsed Antonov as the next ambassador in late July.
He will be taking over for Sergey Kislyak, who returned to Russia in July after serving as the country’s ambassador to the United States for nine years. Earlier this year, he found himself mired in a media scandal over alleged Russian contacts with US President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Moscow has outright denied these allegations.
Antonov is a career diplomat, who has been with the Russian Foreign Ministry for decades, holding different positions. In 2011, he was promoted, becoming Russia's deputy defense minister, and served in Russia's defense sphere before returning to the Foreign Ministry in December 2016.
