Russian Ambassador to the United States Dies

Russia’s Ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, has died aged 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday. The ministry praised him as an experienced diplomat and expert on American affairs, but did not state the cause of death; the Kremlin and US officials had not commented at the time of the report.

Darchiev became ambassador in early 2025, succeeding Anatoly Antonov as relations between Washington and Moscow briefly thawed after Donald Trump returned to the White House. He had previously served at Russia’s Washington embassy, spent six years as ambassador to Canada and led the Foreign Ministry’s North American Department for four years. Observers had said he was unlikely to shape major policy, which was largely handled at higher levels.