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ITAR-TASS / IMAGO
The relationship between Russia and the USA is rather tense even in times of peace.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine things have been a little chilly.
Now it is known who will represent the United States as chief diplomat in Moscow in the future.
Amid heightened tensions with Russia, US President Joe Biden has nominated veteran diplomat Lynne Tracy as the new US Ambassador.
This was announced by the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
Tracy, who speaks Russian, currently serves as the US Ambassador to Armenia.
She previously served as senior adviser on Russia at the US State Department's Office of European and Eurasian Affairs and as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Moscow.
According to the rules of diplomatic protocol, the government of the host country, i.e. Russia, approves the appointment before the nomination by the US President.
Such approval is usually routine, but not necessarily a matter of course in times of particularly strained relationships.
Therefore, the personal details had been known for a long time - but only now, after the Kremlin's approval, is it really official.
After the nomination by the US President, the US Senate still has to vote on the personnel before the ambassador can be officially appointed and sent to the receiving state.
Current ambassador retires
The previous US ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, left Russia to retire earlier this month.
The diplomat had repeatedly addressed authoritarian tendencies, judicial arbitrariness and violations of human rights in Russia.
Tracy is well respected in diplomatic circles.
In 2009, she received a State Department Service Award from then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
As head of the US consulate in Peshawar in the insurgency-torn Pakistani border region, Tracy survived an attack by a gunman that left her vehicle riddled with bullets.
However, she insisted on going to work that day and staying at her post, even though the consulate was forced to reduce its staff for security reasons.
jok/dpa