The future ambassador of the United States in Moscow, Lynne Tracy, had a meeting with the head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, announced the spokesman of the State Department, Ned Price, Reuters reports, Agerpres reads.

Lynne Tracy, a career diplomat, was confirmed as ambassador to Russia by the US Senate in December and, according to Price, will leave for Moscow in the coming days. He declined to elaborate on the discussion, but said the ambassadors did not discuss „any form of negotiated settlement” of the conflict in Ukraine.

Lynn Tracy „is in the process of having consultations with offices and individuals here in Washington, and in this case, she had an opportunity to have a discussion with Ambassador Antonov,” Price explained.

Lynne Tracy, a former ambassador to Armenia and deputy chief of mission in Moscow from 2014 to 2017, takes up the post at a time when Russian-American relations are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. Tracy succeeds John Sullivan, who left Moscow in September after being appointed by former President Donald Trump and retained by Joe Biden.

Amid deteriorating bilateral relations, Washington and Moscow have also been at loggerheads over the staffing of their embassies in the two capitals, criticizing each other for imposing restrictions.

Months before his departure, John Sullivan urged Russia not to close the US embassy. Price reiterated on Wednesday the importance of communication channels.

„We were clear about our desire to keep communication channels open with Russia. We have an embassy in Moscow, it is under constraints due to the pressure and limitations imposed by the Kremlin”, said the spokesman. „There are open communication channels. We use these channels to convey our position on issues that are of the highest priority to us”, Price added.

Agerpres