Russian ambassador returns to US to build ‘equal, pragmatic’ ties

Diplomatic relations between the two countries had all but broken down since Biden took office.

Russia’s ambassador to the US has flown back to Washington, DC, saying he hoped to build “equal and pragmatic” ties after a US-Russia summit in Geneva aimed at reducing tensions. The plane transporting Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, who was recalled in March for consultations, left Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Sunday for New York, where he will travel on to Washington, Russian news agencies reported. “Given the results of the meeting between the two presidents, I am counting on constructive work with my American colleagues to build equal and pragmatic relations,” Antonov told the Ria Novosti agency, adding he was in an “optimistic mood”.