Moscow has officially announced the appointment of its new ambassador to the U.S.

Alexander Darchiev has been appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States, and concurrently, the Permanent Observer of Russia to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington.

This was announced on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to media reports, he is expected to fly to Washington today.

“The ambassador is expected to depart for Washington on March 26,” a source told journalists, without providing any further details about his plans upon arrival in the U.S.

Darchiev replaces Anatoly Antonov as the Russian Ambassador to the U.S., whose diplomatic term ended in October 2024. From October 2024 to February 2025, Russia had no ambassador in the United States.

Darchiev was appointed ambassador by decree of Vladimir Putin on March 6, 2025 (Decree No. 121), naming him Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States of America and, concurrently, Permanent Observer of the Russian Federation to the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C.

Darchiev, 64, has worked in the Russian Foreign Ministry for over 30 years. From 2005 to 2010, he served as Minister-Counselor at the Russian Embassy in the U.S.; from 2010 to 2014, he was Director of the North America Department; and from 2014 to 2020, he served as Russia’s Ambassador to Canada.

In late February, Darchiev headed the Russian delegation at talks with the U.S. in Istanbul, during which both sides discussed the operations of their respective diplomatic missions.