Alexander Darchiev, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department, has been appointed as ambassador to the United States.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on the matter.
"[I hereby decree] to appoint Alexander Nikitich Darchiev as the Russian Federation’s extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to the United States of America and the permanent observer of the Russian Federation at the Organization of American States in Washington," the decree, published on the official portal of legal information, reads.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, an agreement to ensure the promptest appointment of Russian and US ambassadors was reached at the February 18 Russia-US talks in Saudi Arabia.
Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s previous representative to the US, completed his mission to Washington in October 2024.
Washington has handed Moscow an official note with an agreement for Darchiev’s appointment as ambassador following the February 27 talks in Istanbul.
This was the result of resumed dialogue between Russia and the US about normalizing ties, which above all aims to restore normal work of the diplomats, as Moscow noted.
Darchiev, 64, is a graduate of Moscow State University with a Ph.D. in history.
He has been involved in the diplomatic service since 1992 and is fluent in English and French.
He has been working at the Russian Embassy in Washington for 10 years, in 1997-2002 and 2005-2010.
Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, who was his boss at that time, described him as a qualified specialist well-versed in US affairs.
The professionalism of the new envoy was also noted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.
