19 local time, a U.S. State Department spokesman said U.S. Ambassador to Russia Sullivan will return to the United States this week.
“Sullivan will return to the United States this week to visit his family and meet with members of the new administration,” a State Department spokesman wrote in a statement, according to U.S. news site Axios. Since he had agreed to remain in office indefinitely, he had not previously had the opportunity to consult with those persons. The statement also said Sullivan would return to Moscow in the coming weeks.
Recently, Russia and the United States diplomatic turmoil continued to ferment and escalate. The United States has previously announced diplomatic and financial sanctions against Russia, Russia has also targeted countermeasures.
On the 16th of this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia suggested that Ambassador Sullivan return to the United States for concrete and serious discussions on Russian-American relations. It is understood that before the State Department spokesman issued the statement, Axios had reported that Sullivan said he would not leave Moscow.
In addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement on the same day, banned eight current and former U.S. officials from entering Russia, including Attorney General Garland, Director of the Bureau of Prisons Carvajal, Secretary of Homeland Security Majorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and so on.
