US Ambassador Departs Moscow as Trump-Putin Thaw Stalls
US Ambassador Lynne Tracy departs Moscow without successor, leaving diplomatic post vacant amid strained US-Russia ties. Despite Trump's outreach, Kremlin says Washington 'not ready' to restore normal embassy functions. Ukraine war remains key sticking point in thawing relations.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The United States Ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, has left Moscow, leaving Washington without a chief envoy in the country as a tentative diplomatic thaw under US President Donald Trump shows signs of unraveling.
In a farewell message posted by the US Embassy on social media, Tracy stated, “I am proud to have represented my country in Moscow during such a challenging time.” She also included lines from a poem by Alexander Pushkin, one of Russia’s most revered literary figures.
Tracy, the first woman to hold the post and a diplomat appointed by former President Joe Biden, concluded her two-and-a-half-year tenure without a successor named by the current administration. Her departure marks another setback in Trump’s efforts to reverse the policy of isolating Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
Despite Trump’s overtures to the Kremlin, including multiple phone calls with Putin and discussions aimed at enhancing bilateral ties, the diplomatic road to détente remains blocked. Moscow accused Washington earlier this week of being “not ready” to take reciprocal steps toward restoring normal embassy functions, which have been crippled by years of tit-for-tat expulsions and restrictions.
Several rounds of talks between US and Russian diplomats have taken place under Trump’s administration, covering contentious issues such as the ongoing Ukraine conflict, prisoner swaps, and the revival of diplomatic missions. However, no substantial breakthrough has been achieved.
The Kremlin reiterated on Wednesday that Washington remains unwilling to ease barriers impeding the operations of both nations’ embassies.
While Trump had initially signaled a willingness to pivot away from Biden’s confrontational approach toward Moscow, recent developments have exposed growing frustration from the White House. Trump has reportedly expressed increasing dismay with Putin’s unyielding stance on Ukraine.
The absence of a US ambassador in Moscow at such a pivotal moment underscores the fragility of current US-Russia diplomacy and casts further doubt on the feasibility of a near-term normalization in relations.
