New U.S. ambassador to arrive in Moscow by late January

The new U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, will arrive in Moscow by the end of this month, US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Tuesday.

"I can confirm that ambassador Tracy did meet with Russian ambassador Antonov. This was an opportunity for her to have discussions with her counterpart here in Washington DC. We expect ambassador Tracy will be departing for the Russian Federation, where she will present her credentials, in the coming days. We expect her to be in place later this month," the spokesperson said.

Earlier, Vestnik Kavkaza reported that the U.S. Senate backed Lynne Tracy’s nomination as U.S. envoy to Russia.