Hillary Clinton stands alongside Lynne Tracy after presenting her with the Secretary's Award for Heroism in December 2009. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The Biden administration on Tuesday nominated Lynne Tracy, the current U.S. ambassador to Armenia, to become the next ambassador to Russia.
Driving the news: The move follows retiring Ambassador John Sullivan's abrupt departure from the post earlier this month following a three year term in the role.
- Elizabeth Rood, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, assumed duties as charge d’affaires in the interim until Sullivan's replacement is appointed.
The big picture: Tracy is a career diplomat who previously served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from 2014 to 2017.
- Tracy, who speaks Russian, would be the first woman to serve in the role, per CNN.
- Host countries typically approve an ambassador pick before they are announced, and U.S. officials had earlier initiated the process by floating Tracy's name to their Russian counterparts, CNN reported.
- Last month, Biden nominated Rood to be the next U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan.