US Senate Committee To Consider Biden's Pick For Russia Ambassador On Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold a nomination hearing on Wednesday for President Joe Biden's pick for a new ambassador to Russia.

On September 20, Biden nominated Lynne Tracy to replace John Sullivan, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2019 and left Moscow on September 4 with plans to retire.

Tracy's nomination must first advance through the Foreign Relations Committee before the full Senate can vote to confirm her to the post.

Since March 2019, Tracy has served as US Ambassador to Armenia.

Also during her career in the Foreign Service, the diplomat has previously served in a number of US foreign missions, including in Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Between 2014 to 2017 Tracy served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Moscow and received a Distinguished Honor Award for her contribution while in this role.

Prior to her service at the Moscow embassy, Tracy was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asia in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs between 2012 and 2014.

Tracy earned a bachelor's degree in Soviet Studies from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Akron in Ohio.

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said earlier in November that Moscow hopes that a new US ambassador to Russia will be appointed soon and the embassy in Moscow will become fully operational.

In September, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Russia had agreed to the appointment of Tracy as the US ambassador to Moscow.

Tracy's nomination hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST (19:30 GMT).