Russia denies controversial ambassador Sergey Kislyak is leaving US
Source: The Guardian
Monday 26 June 2017 18.49 BST
The Russian foreign ministry has denied reports that its ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, is being recalled, even as plans for his departure are under way in Washington.
The US-Russia Business Council in Washington confirmed on Monday it was hosting a farewell dinner on July 11 for Kislyak, who has become a controversial figure for his contacts with senior members of the Trump campaign during the 2016 US presidential election.
However, the Russian foreign ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, posted a statement on Facebook saying it was up to Vladimir Putin to decide whether to recall Kislyak to Moscow and appoint a successor, and that the process would take many months from the time a decision was made.
“And if a decision is made to name a new ambassador to the United States … then Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak, who has worked in the United States for nine years, will go down in the history of bilateral relations as a person who did everything to develop them even in the most complicated circumstances,” Zakharova said.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/26/sergey-kislyak-russian-ambassador-leaving-us
"Maria Zakharova", when translated into English, means "Sean Spicer."
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