Politics Russia recalls ambassador from Washington

Russia has recalled its long-serving ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, from the USA. "Russian Ambassador to the USA Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov is ending his foreign service in Washington and returning to Moscow," the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed in response to an inquiry from the Interfax news agency. The 69-year-old diplomat had been ambassador to the USA since 2017.

Antonov was considered a hardliner. Before his time as a diplomat, he was deputy defense minister in Russia. Even in his diplomatic post, Antonov vehemently defended his country's war of aggression against Ukraine with harsh verbal attacks against the West.

SDA