US ambassador to Russia leaves Moscow, embassy statement says

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, is leaving Moscow, her embassy said on Friday, noting she had served through one of the most strained periods in relations between Moscow and Washington.

The departure of a career diplomat appointed under the administration of former president Joe Biden comes as Russia and the United States discuss a potential reset in their ties which sharply deteriorated after Moscow launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022.

President Donald Trump has said there are potentially big investment deals to be struck, but is growing increasingly frustrated that his efforts to broker a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine have so far not resulted in a meaningful ceasefire.

"I am proud to have represented my country in Moscow during such a challenging time. As I leave Russia, I know that my colleagues at the embassy will continue to work to improve our relations and maintain ties with the Russian people," the embassy cited Tracy as saying in a statement.

It said Tracy's time in post had been marked by her belief that meaningful dialogue was important even during difficult times, the embassy said.

The embassy said earlier this month that Tracy, who arrived in Moscow in January 2023 and was greeted by protesters chanting anti-U.S. slogans when she went to the Foreign Ministry to present her credentials, would leave her post soon.

Her successor has not been publicly named.

Her tenure is similar in duration to her predecessor, John Sullivan, who served as ambassador for two years and seven months from February 2020 to September 2022.

Tracy was notably involved in efforts to win the release of U.S. citizens jailed in Russia, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan, who were eventually freed in August 2024 as part of a big East-West prisoner swap.

(Reporting by ReutersWriting by Andrew Osborn and Lidia Kelly; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Raju Gopalakrishnan)