Latest news with #USRussiaRelations
CNA
a day ago
- Politics
- CNA
US ambassador to Russia leaves Moscow, embassy statement says
MOSCOW: Lynne Tracy, the US ambassador to Russia, is leaving Moscow, her embassy said on Friday (Jun 27), noting she had served through one of the most strained periods in relations between Moscow and Washington. The departure of a career diplomat appointed under the administration of former president Joe Biden comes as Russia and the United States discuss a potential reset in their ties which sharply deteriorated after Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022. President Donald Trump has said there are potentially big investment deals to be struck, but is growing increasingly frustrated that his efforts to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine have so far not resulted in a meaningful ceasefire. "I am proud to have represented my country in Moscow during such a challenging time. As I leave Russia, I know that my colleagues at the embassy will continue to work to improve our relations and maintain ties with the Russian people," the embassy cited Tracy as saying in a statement. It said Tracy's time in post had been marked by her belief that meaningful dialogue was important even during difficult times, the embassy said. The embassy said earlier this month that Tracy, who arrived in Moscow in January 2023 and was greeted by protesters chanting anti-US slogans when she went to the Foreign Ministry to present her credentials, would leave her post soon. Her successor has not been publicly named. Her tenure is similar in duration to her predecessor, John Sullivan, who served as ambassador for two years and seven months from February 2020 to September 2022. Tracy was notably involved in efforts to win the release of US citizens jailed in Russia, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan, who were eventually freed in August 2024 as part of a big East-West prisoner swap.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
US ambassador to Russia leaves Moscow
Lynne Tracy, the US ambassador to Russia, is leaving Moscow, her embassy said on Friday, noting she had served through one of the most strained periods in relations between Moscow and Washington. The departure of a career diplomat appointed under the administration of former president Joe Biden comes as Russia and the United States discuss a potential reset in their ties which sharply deteriorated after Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022. President Donald Trump has said there are potentially big investment deals to be struck, but is growing increasingly frustrated that his efforts to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine have so far not resulted in a meaningful ceasefire. 'I am proud to have represented my country in Moscow during such a challenging time. As I leave Russia, I know that my colleagues at the embassy will continue to work to improve our relations and maintain ties with the Russian people,' the embassy cited Tracy as saying in a statement. It said Tracy's time in post had been marked by her belief that meaningful dialogue was important even during difficult times, the embassy said. The embassy said earlier this month that Tracy, who arrived in Moscow in January 2023 and was greeted by protesters chanting anti-US slogans when she went to the Foreign Ministry to present her credentials, would leave her post soon. Her successor has not been publicly named. Her tenure is similar in duration to her predecessor, John Sullivan, who served as ambassador for two years and seven months from February 2020 to September 2022. Tracy was notably involved in efforts to win the release of US citizens jailed in Russia, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan, who were eventually freed in August 2024 as part of a big East-West prisoner swap.
Reuters
a day ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US ambassador to Russia leaves Moscow, embassy statement says
MOSCOW, June 27 (Reuters) - Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, is leaving Moscow, her embassy said on Friday, noting she had served through one of the most strained periods in relations between Moscow and Washington. The departure of a career diplomat appointed under the administration of former president Joe Biden comes as Russia and the United States discuss a potential reset in their ties which sharply deteriorated after Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022. President Donald Trump has said there are potentially big investment deals to be struck, but is growing increasingly frustrated that his efforts to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine have so far not resulted in a meaningful ceasefire. "I am proud to have represented my country in Moscow during such a challenging time. As I leave Russia, I know that my colleagues at the embassy will continue to work to improve our relations and maintain ties with the Russian people," the embassy cited Tracy as saying in a statement. It said Tracy's time in post had been marked by her belief that meaningful dialogue was important even during difficult times, the embassy said. The embassy said earlier this month that Tracy, who arrived in Moscow in January 2023 and was greeted by protesters chanting anti-U.S. slogans when she went to the Foreign Ministry to present her credentials, would leave her post soon. Her successor has not been publicly named. Her tenure is similar in duration to her predecessor, John Sullivan, who served as ambassador for two years and seven months from February 2020 to September 2022. Tracy was notably involved in efforts to win the release of U.S. citizens jailed in Russia, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan, who were eventually freed in August 2024 as part of a big East-West prisoner swap.
Russia Today
19-06-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
US companies want to return to Russia
American businesses welcome the Trump administration's efforts to renew dialogue with Moscow, in hopes that they can return to the Russian market, the head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham), Robert Agee, has told RT. The AmCham has supported President Donald Trump's efforts to restore relations with Russia since he assumed office in January, and has called on Washington to ease the sanctions on Russia for months. 'It's better to have good business relations between Russia and the United States,' Agee told RT on Wednesday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), adding that '70% of our businesses four years ago looked upon Russia as a strategic market.' The companies that remained in Russia after 2022, despite the sanctions imposed by the US and its allies over Russia's military operation in Ukraine and pressure from Washington, ended up benefiting in the long run, according to the AmCham chief. 'Consumer good companies, confectionary producers, pharmaceutical and medical equipment suppliers… all those companies have stayed, and they're very active and they're very successful,' he said. Those who left are 'watching and waiting,' hoping for a thaw in US-Russia relations, according to Agee. He added that 'a number of companies' could start returning to Russia following a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin said on the sidelines of the SPIEF that US businesses have shown interest in returning to the Russian market. Contacts between Russian and American companies are being renewed, giving cause for 'cautious optimism,' he told journalists late Wednesday. Putin added that he hopes Trump will assess US policies towards Russia not just as a politician, but as a businessman, and will take into account the costs and benefits of various approaches. Izvestia reported last month that the Russian parliament was set to pass legislation that would regulate the right of foreign companies to reclaim assets sold during their exit from the country. The bill would allow the authorities or current owners of the assets to reject buybacks under certain conditions.
Reuters
16-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
National Security Council taps ex-soldier with business experience for top Europe role
WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has tapped a former army special operations officer with significant business experience who once oversaw a large U.S.-Russia investment forum to manage Europe and Russia policy at the National Security Council, two U.S. officials said. The appointment of Charles McLaughlin, an alumnus of President Donald Trump's first term, is further evidence that the president is hungry to advance U.S. business interests in Russia and Ukraine - even as the conflict between the two nations continues unabated. It is also an indication that the administration may be trying to rebuild the NSC after a late May purge so thorough that the entire team working directly on the Ukraine war was dismissed, a move that confounded some European diplomats. In a May social media post, Trump portrayed Russia as a country ripe for new business opportunities, and expressed interest in increasing trade between the U.S. and its former Cold War foe. "There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth," Trump wrote on Truth Social after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Its potential is UNLIMITED." His administration has also made doing business in Ukraine a priority. In late April, Ukraine and the U.S. signed a deal to create a joint investment fund and grant the U.S. preferential access to Ukrainian mineral resources. The board overseeing that fund is set to meet for the first time in July, Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said earlier this month. McLaughlin, whose formal title is senior director for European and Russian Affairs, has decades of Army Special Forces experience, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has also worked in management consulting, including in the defense sector. Notable in his CV is his tenure during the first Trump administration when he served as a senior advisor to the president of the Development Finance Corporation, an institution currently acting as the U.S. partner in the U.S.-Ukraine minerals fund that is being stood up. McLaughlin was also the executive director of the Russian Investment Symposium at the Kennedy School of Government in the early 2000s, according to his LinkedIn profile. That symposium has since been discontinued. Among the companies McLaughlin has worked for are McKinsey & Co, Accenture and Bridgewater Associates. During Trump's first term, McLaughlin also held positions in the NSC and State Department. Neither the White House nor McLaughlin responded to a request for comment, though McLaughlin updated his LinkedIn this weekend to reflect his new appointment. He replaces Andrew Peek, the former senior director for European and Russian affairs who was forced out in the May purge.
