THE US Ambassador to Russia has quit and urged Donald Trump to hold Vladimir Putin to account in his parting letter.

Jon Huntsman’s resignation signals the end of a two-year stint during a “historically difficult” time in relations between the two countries.

It comes after reports that Trump and Putin discussed the need for a new US ambassador in Russia while speaking on the phone last week.

In his resignation letter, Huntsman urged Trump to stand up to the Russian President and work to stabilise “years of acrimony”.

“Going forward, we must continue to hold Russia accountable when its behaviour threatens us and our allies,” Huntsman told Trump.

He acknowledged there are “irreconcilable” differences between the two countries, but said there are also common interests.

Huntsman reminded Trump that Russia has a history of disrespecting human rights and violating the sovereignty of its neighbours.

“While times are tough, it is critical that we increase exchanges of people and maintain channels for dialogue on issues of national interest,” he wrote.

These include combatting terrorism and ensuring “verifiable arms control”.

He warned Trump against the kind of “reset” with Russia that humiliated the Obama administration.

“No reset or restart is going to help…Failure is not an option.” Read more

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Jon Huntsman’s resignation signals the end of a two-year stint during a “historically difficult” time in relations between the two countries.

It comes after reports that Trump and Putin discussed the need for a new US ambassador in Russia while speaking on the phone last week.

Jon Huntsman’s resignation signals the end of a two-year stint during a “historically difficult” time in relations between the two countries.

It comes after reports that Trump and Putin discussed the need for a new US ambassador in Russia while speaking on the phone last week.