US ambassador to Russia retiring

U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow on Sunday and will officially retire when he returns home, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia announced on Sunday.

Elizabeth Rood, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, will fill Sullivan’s spot until his successor is appointed.

Sullivan, who was appointed to the ambassadorship in 2019 under former President Trump and remained on the job when President Biden assumed office, is retiring from a four-decade career that spanned five presidencies.

The Boston, Mass., native was previously a deputy secretary of State and held senior positions within the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Commerce.

Sullivan oversaw the embassy when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February and served as a key point of contact between U.S. officials and Russian leaders.

The retiring ambassador was extremely critical of the Russian invasion, telling Voice of America (VOA) in June the war was a “massive act of aggression” that has killed thousands of people and displaced millions.

He also praised Ukraine and Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky for standing up for their freedom and pushing Russians out of the capitol and into the eastern region of the country, where fighting remains without a decisive victory on either side.

“I’m not a military expert, but I say this just as a human being, what President Zelenskyy and his government has done to resist this massive aggression is inspirational,” Sullivan said. “I don’t think the Russian government expected the Ukrainian government to stand firm and resist.”

Sullivan also played a key role in bringing former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed back to the U.S. this spring after he was detained in Russia.

Officials are continuing to work on releasing other American citizens they consider wrongfully detained, including WNBA star Brittney Griner and another former U.S. Marine, Paul Whelan.

But with the U.S. continuing to support Ukraine financially and defensively, tensions with Russia have soared to new highs, complicating negotiations.

In the June interview with VOA, Sullivan said the invasion was the “decision of a government, really one person,” calling out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name.

“I’ve been in Moscow well over two and a half years now, and from the day I arrived, there’s been a snowball rolling of the gradual repression of civil rights, civil society, journalists,” he said. “There’s an underlying sense, I believe, in Russia that something’s wrong and what’s happening in Ukraine is wrong.

“You can sense this lurking. People want to know: When is it going to stop? When is it going to go back to being the way it was?” he continued. “And the message is, unfortunately, it’s not going to be any time soon.”