Anatoly Antonov Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, has not spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin at all since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. The last time Antonov spoke directly to Putin was in 2017, just before he was deployed to Washington, DC, Politico reported Monday.
When asked about his lack of contact with Putin, Antonov told Politico: “I’ve had enough conversations with senior officials in the Kremlin, in various agencies.” Russia, he said, has “a different system”. Furthermore, speaking to Putin on the phone would only “give the FBI an opportunity to listen to anything Mr. Putin might say [to] me.”
Since the invasion began, Antonov has also felt increasingly isolated in Washington. “I don’t think anyone really believes he’s a proxy for Moscow,” Gavin Wilde, a former National Security Council official, told Politico.
In the interview, Antonov dutifully followed the Kremlin’s talking points, calling the invasion a “special military operation,” reiterating concerns about Nazis in Ukraine, and denouncing “Russophobia.” He also said he believes Ukraine “has the right to be [a] sovereign country”, but he does not know “what will happen in the future”.
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