U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy will soon step down from her post, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said in a statement on Telegram Thursday.
The announcement came as the embassy promoted a livestream with Tracy scheduled for Friday afternoon, saying she would “soon conclude her mission” in Russia. It did not provide further details.
Tracy, a career diplomat, began serving as Ambassador to Russia in January 2023 under the Biden administration. She previously held posts in several former Soviet republics — including Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — as well as in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow did not specify the reason for Tracy’s departure or who is expected to replace her. Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has moved to replace many of the ambassadors appointed by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
The embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tracy’s departure comes just months after Russia’s new ambassador to the U.S., Alexander Darchiyev, assumed his role. His predecessor, Anatoly Antonov, stepped down and returned to Moscow in October of last year.
In recent months, the Trump administration has made efforts to begin mending ties with Russia, which had fallen to an all-time low over the war in Ukraine.
Darchiyev said Thursday that during a recent meeting with Trump, he told the U.S. president the Russian Embassy in Washington would “do everything to restore Russian-American relations, returning them to normalcy and common sense.”
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