US-Russia ambassador Jon Huntsman stepping down

Russian President Vladimir Putin, shakes hands with U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman, left, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, stands behind prior to their talks in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, southern Russia, Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Pompeo arrived in Russia for talks that are expected to focus on an array of issues including arms control and Iran. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, Pool)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. is resigning after a two-year stint during what he called a historically difficult time in relations between the two countries.

Salt Lake Chamber President Derek Miller said Tuesday that Huntsman is looking for places to live in Utah amid speculation that he may again run for governor.

Huntsman left the Utah governor’s office in 2009, when former President Barack Obama tapped him as ambassador to China.

President Donald Trump named him as ambassador to Russia in 2017, as the U.S. investigated Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election.

In a resignation later dated Monday, Huntsman said he was honored by the trust Trump placed in him “during this historically difficult period in bilateral relations.”

He will serve through Oct. 3.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.