The Russian ambassador to the US, Alexander Darchiev, has died suddenly in Moscow aged 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, ending a short tenure in Washington that coincided with a thaw in relations between Moscow and Washington.
FAKTA
- Who: Alexander Darchiev, Russia’s ambassador to the United States since March 2025, aged 66.
- What happened: Darchiev died suddenly in Moscow on Wednesday 11 November, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The ministry described him as an “exceptional professional” and offered its condolences to his family.
- Cause: Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said he had died from a chronic illness. He had left the embassy in Washington and returned to Moscow, where he was receiving treatment for a long-term illness.
- Career: Darchiev served as Russia’s ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2021 and previously headed the Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department.
- Reaction: A US State Department spokesperson said the department was aware of Darchiev’s death and offered condolences to his family and loved ones.
- Context: His death comes as Russia, Ukraine and the United States hold a second day of peace talks in Abu Dhabi, and at a moment of high tension between the US and Iran.
Russian Ambassador to the US Dies After Long Illness
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Darchiev’s death in a statement on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday evening in Moscow. “The leadership and staff of the Russian Foreign Ministry report with deep sorrow that on November 11, in his 67th year, Alexander Nikitich Darchiev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States of America, died suddenly,” the ministry said.
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said later on Telegram that Darchiev had died in Moscow from a chronic illness. A source familiar with the matter told CNN that the ambassador had left the embassy in Washington before returning to Moscow, where he was receiving treatment for a long-term illness.
The ministry’s statement added: “Alexander Darchiev served in one of the most demanding areas of Russian foreign policy. We extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Alexander Darchiev’s family and loved ones.”
A Short Tenure Marked by a Thaw
President Vladimir Putin appointed Darchiev as ambassador to Washington in March 2025, succeeding Anatoly Antonov, to lead a rapprochement with the Trump administration. Darchiev was a veteran diplomat known for his stinging public condemnations of the West, and his time in office was marked by a thawing of US-Russia relations as President Donald Trump opened bilateral talks with Moscow.
Darchiev took up the Washington post at a sensitive moment: the Trump administration had opened bilateral talks with Moscow and scaled back aid to Ukraine, a shift that rattled Kyiv and European governments.
A Career Diplomat
Before his posting to Washington, Darchiev served as Russia’s ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2021. He also headed the Russian Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department, the branch responsible for relations with the United States and Canada.
His sudden death recalls the death of another senior Russian diplomat nearly a decade ago: Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, died in 2017 aged 64 after a cardiac arrest, one day before his 65th birthday.
No successor has yet been named. The US State Department said it was aware of Darchiev’s death and offered condolences to his family.
Read more: Russia, Ukraine and US agree prisoner swap in Abu Dhabi talks
