MOSCOW, August 7. /TASS/. Replacing US Ambassador in Moscow Jon Huntsman, who is set to leave post on October 3, will not positively influence the bilateral relations because today the capabilities of US diplomats in Russia are heavily restricted, Director of the Institute for the US and Canadian Studies of Russian Academy of Sciences Valery Garbuzov told TASS on Wednesday.

"I highly doubt that the change of ambassadors will improve the relations at all. Normalization of Russia-US cooperation does not depend on who represents the American state in Moscow, but rather is influenced by the established background of the relation," he stressed. "The United States is a country that shaped the sanction regime imposed on Russia. The US and Russia do not understand each other in the foreign policy, while the list of issues that could become the agenda and cooperation of the two countries today is short and basically empty."

The expert drew attention to the fact that Huntsman supported broader Russia-US contacts at different levels while occupying his post. "Unfortunately, his diplomatic talent failed to manifest itself in Moscow," he conceded, adding that the American diplomat had done his best in the current environment. "The same destiny awaits any other US representative in Russia."

Moreover, Garbuzov pointed out that the capabilities of the Russian ambassador to the US to interact with the US political establishment are heavily restricted, which also hampers the realization of the envoy potential in normalizing the ties between Moscow and Washington.

Valdai Discussion Club Council Chairman Andrey Bystritsky shared a similar opinion, adding that that the ambassador replacement in Moscow can become "a certain element of improvement in the relations." "The role of ambassadors is vital, but there is no need to exaggerate," he believes. "I believe that resignation of one ambassador and appointment of a new one can, of course, be an element of changing relations, but it is wrong to think that this is the most important element."

Huntsman’s resignation

On Wednesday, the US embassy in Russia confirmed the reports that had emerged in media outlets that the head of the missions would leave his post on October 3.

The US State Department thanked Huntsman for his work the same day, but refused to answer a TASS question on who Washington is considering as a possible candidate for the post in Moscow. The department also failed to clarify whether the Russian authorities has been notified about a replacement candidate. The White House also did not answer the question.

Huntsman has headed the American diplomatic mission in Moscow since 2017. Previously, he served as the US Ambassador to Singapore (1992-1993) and China (2009-2011), as well as occupied the post of Utah governor (2005-2009).