Washington has greenlighted the appointment of Alexander Darchiev as Russia’s new ambassador to the United States, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

He is expected to depart for Washington shortly.

During the consultations that the delegations of Russia and the US held on February 27 in Istanbul to discuss a normalization of the operation of the two countries’ diplomatic missions, "the American side handed over an official note with an agrement for the appointment of the director of the North Atlantic Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Darchiev, as the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States of America," the statement said.

Alexander Darchiev was heading the Russian delegation in dicussions with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter in Istanbul, which focused on normalising the operation of diplomatic missions of both countries.

"Joint measures were agreed upon to ensure the unfettered mutual financing of Russian and US diplomatic missions’ operations and to establish appropriate conditions for diplomats to fulfil their official duties," - Russian FM stated.

The consultations also addressed issues related to Russian diplomatic properties in the United States, with a particular focus on "the restitution of six premises unlawfully seized between 2016 and 2018." The necessity of achieving tangible outcomes to foster conditions conducive to improving bilateral relations, in the interests of both nations, was underscored.

Additionally, the American side was encouraged to consider the restoration of direct air service between the two countries, the ministry

Darchiev was born in 1960. He graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1983 with a degree in history. Darchiev enrolled in the diplomatic service in 1992, taking the job of first secretary at the Foreign Ministry’s North America Department. He then served as head of division at the department until 1997. From 1997 to 2002, he was counselor of the Russian Embassy in the US. From 2003 to 2005, Darchiev had the job of deputy director of the North America Department at the Foreign Ministry. From 2005 to 2010, he served as minister counselor at the Russian Embassy in the US. From 2010 to 2014, he was director of the North America Department at the Foreign Ministry. In October 2014, Darchiev was appointed Russia's ambassador to Canada, a post he held until January 2021. From 2021 to 2025, he served as director of the North America Department at the Foreign Ministry, a unit responsible for ties with the US and Canada. In 2025, he was named director of the Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department, which oversees relations with the UK, Ireland, Canada and the US.

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