The US ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, has arrived in Washington following the Russian Foreign Ministry’s recommendation that he return to the United States for consultation, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
The aircraft carrying Sullivan has landed at Washington DC’s Dulles International Airport.
“It was beautiful weather in Moscow this morning, absolutely gorgeous. I’m happy to be back, looking forward to seeing my family and meeting with my colleagues in the administration,” Sullivan told reporters upon his arrival.
Sullivan will meet his family, hold consultations with the US presidential administration, and return to Moscow in the upcoming weeks.
The ambassador’s return to the United States takes place amid a crisis in Russian-US relations. Earlier this month, the United States imposed new sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals as part of a new round of sanctions for Moscow’s alleged cyberattacks and other hostile acts against US interests. The United States also expelled ten Russian diplomats from the country and prohibited US entities from purchasing ruble-based bonds.
According to charges laid out by the Biden administration, Russian intelligence was behind last year’s SolarWinds hack on US information technology systems. Russia was also accused of interfering in the 2020 US election and waging chemical warfare. Moscow has denied the allegations as groundless.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the fresh round of sanctions as running contrary to the interests of the two nations. In response, Russia banned eight US citizens from entering the country and declared 10 US embassy employees unwelcome in the country.