"An agreement has already been received. There are outstanding issues related to a diplomatic visa. It’s taking time but we’re almost there," Russia’s Izvestiya newspaper cited a high-ranking source in the Foreign Ministry as saying Friday.
Anatoly Antonov, a career diplomat who has been with the Foreign Ministry for decades, is taking over from Sergey Kislyak. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday the announcement of his appointment would be made soon.
Kislyak returned to Russia last weekend after serving as the country’s top diplomat in the United States for nine years. Earlier this year, he found himself mired in a media scandal over alleged Russian contacts with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Moscow has firmly denied these allegations.
