U.S. ambassador to Russia returns to Moscow

The state of play: Sullivan returned to the United States in April after the Kremlin "advised" him to do so due a fallout between the two counties.

• The week prior, the United States announced a spate of sanctions against Russia over a litany of misdeeds, including election interference and the SolarWinds hack. As part of the sanctions, the U.S. expelled 10 Russian diplomats.
• Russia announced retaliatory sanctions the next day, expelling 10 U.S. diplomats and added eight current and former U.S. officials to its no-entry list.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled Antonov to Moscow in March following comments by Biden in which he referred to Putin as a "killer."

The big picture: In a statement released Thursday by the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Sullivan said that he was "pleased" to be back and that he looks forward to working to advance the "goal of a stable and predictable relationship between the United States and Russia."

• "We should cooperate where it is in our mutual interests, and where we have differences — and we do have significant differences — it is important to have an open and frank dialogue," he added.
• "Now that I am back in Moscow, and Ambassador Antonov has returned to Washington, I will work tirelessly to take the practical steps necessary to advance the agenda set at the summit."