Russian ambassador to US dies
Russia’s ambassador to the US, Aleksandr Darchiev, has “passed away suddenly,” at age 66, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has announced without providing any further details.
The ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, clarified later on Wednesday that the diplomat died in Moscow “of a chronic disease.”
A seasoned career diplomat, Darchiev had previously headed the North American Department at the ministry. Fluent in English and French, he served as Russia’s ambassador to Canada between 2014 and 2021. He has also held multiple postings at the Russian Embassy in Washington, including as senior counselor and minister-counselor.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Darchiev ambassador to Washington in March 2025, after his candidacy was discussed with US officials during talks in Istanbul the previous month. The appointment was part of efforts to restore bilateral ties after relations between Russia and the US had deteriorated to their lowest point since the Cold War.
Under former US President Joe Biden, Washington had sharply curtailed diplomatic contacts with Moscow following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian officials and businesses. Russia was left without an ambassador in Washington from October 2024 until March 2025, with a charge d’affaires overseeing the embassy.
After taking office in January 2025, US President Donald Trump criticized his predecessor for sidelining diplomacy and pledged to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kiev while restoring bilateral ties with Russia.
Upon arriving in Washington, Darchiev welcomed signs of improving US-Russia relations but warned that more work was needed to overcome the “toxic legacy” of the previous American administration.
In June 2025, the ambassador met with Trump in an encounter he described as brief but “very constructive.” Four months later, he handed declassified Soviet documents on the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy to Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna.
