Russia's New Ambassador to US Says Open to Communication With US Media

Russia's newly appointed Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has said upon arriving in Washington, DC that he is ready to communicate with American media outlets amid the diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) — Antonov said Saturday that he would be very open during interviews with US journalists, saying he had recieved many requests from the media.

"As requests are coming, a question arises whether or not to meet with all of them. As for me, I have already decided to be very open," Antonov said, as aired by the Rossiya 1 broadcaster.

The ambassador noted that he was ready for tough questions and stressed that his major goal was to prevent further rounds of sanctions.

Antonov, who previously served as a deputy defense and foreign minister, was appointed to serve as Russia’s ambassador to the United States on August 21.

New Russian Ambassador to the United States #AnatolyAntonov arrives in Washington https://t.co/YkUFIcu0ML pic.twitter.com/KL6QD7TmWr

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) 31 августа 2017 г.

​The diplomat arrived in Washington DC on Thursday, hours after the State Department announced the US demanded that Moscow close down its Consulate General in San Francisco and two other diplomatic entities in New York City and Washington, DC by September 2.Washington's move came as a retaliation for Moscow’s decision to cut US diplomatic staff in Russia, according to the State Department.

Anatoly #Antonov: #Moscow will not react hysterically to the closure of its consulate in San Franciscohttps://t.co/tekdMJY5HS pic.twitter.com/LPixGIGGWh

— Russian Embassy, IDN (@RusEmbJakarta) 1 сентября 2017 г.

The closure of the dipomatic compounds was the latest instance in a series of tit-for-tat moves between the United States and Russia that began over allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, accusations that the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.