Lonely Antonov: the Russian ambassador to the United States has become a pariah

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov is the least popular person in Washington. He cannot meet with senior officials in the White House or the State Department. He fails to convince American lawmakers to even see him, let alone take a picture, reports Politico.

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Nobody wants to talk to Anatoly Antonov. Even Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not communicate with him.

They have not spoken since Antonov left for Washington in 2017, the ambassador said. They haven't spoken even in recent weeks, when Russia waged a full-scale war in Ukraine — a "special military operation," as Antonov conscientiously calls it, in keeping with the Kremlin's demands, that pushed U.S.-Russian relations to the breaking point.

Antonov downplays his spat with Putin simply because that's how the Russian system works. He emphasizes that he has direct contact, if not with the Kremlin boss, then with the Kremlin.

On the subject: Bloomberg told how Putin decided to invade Ukraine and why he does not intend to retreat from it

But what about the growing number of cold receptions in Washington, a city that never truly welcomed him? It is unwise and foolish, he says, not to allow the ambassador of a country with which the United States is "destined to cooperate" on everything from nuclear nonproliferation to climate change.

“Frankly, we are under blockade,” Antonov says of himself and his increasingly empty embassy. — When I came to Washington, my idea was to improve relations between our countries. Now I prefer to use the word "stabilization". He smiles when another word is suggested instead - "survival".

In an exclusive interview last week in the ornate Ukrainian hall of the Russian embassy over tea, ice cream and cakes prepared by a beloved chef soon to be kicked out by the US, Antonov alternates charming, adamant, and answers every question that challenges the official position. Kremlin.

The ambassador rejects the idea of ​​a failed Russian invasion of Ukraine, denounces the growing "Russophobia" and laments the post-Soviet world, in which Russia was "naive", trusted the West and saw its reputation undermined.

But he also acknowledges that Ukraine is a country separate from Russia and entitled to sovereignty, although he is not sure how long this can or should continue. After all, he says, Russia's goal is much more than reining in its neighbor. It is about preventing the domination of the world by any one country.

“It’s a very narrow approach to talk about a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Antonov said. “This is about changing the world order created by the US and NATO countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union.”

When told that perhaps his current unpopularity in Washington is due to his unwillingness to acknowledge the reality of what Russia is doing to Ukraine, Antonov refers to the saying, "Every coin has two sides." In other words, he has his own facts that he would like the Americans to take into account.

“I'm not trying to dissuade you. I'd like you to take a look,” he said, at one point handing over a set of folders filled with articles, statements and images promoting the Kremlin's thesis on the Ukraine crisis. “You have to decide if the Russian ambassador is giving you fake news.”

"Difficult relationship"

When asked if Russian troops killed civilians in places like Bucha (a suburb of the Ukrainian capital), Antonov answered in the negative, providing material in which Russian officials question the timeline of these killings.

He also denies the use of chemical weapons by Russian forces since the February 24 invasion.

To the words that the Russian operation is failing at every step, because not only have Russian troops been ousted from key regions of Ukraine, but the Kremlin has just lost a warship, and now Sweden and Finland are seriously considering the possibility of joining NATO, Antonov replies that neither one military operation does not go perfectly.

Antonov was asked about his statement on CBS News' Face the Nation just days before Russia attacked Ukraine that "there is no invasion and no such plans." The ambassador responded that he was referring to "fake news" that the invasion had already begun, specifically the premature Bloomberg News headline about the Russian invasion earlier in the month.

A lean, balding 66-year-old often seen wearing a blue suit and a rusty red tie, Antonov is considered a hardliner in the Russian system, and his long experience includes negotiating nuclear weapons treaties. Being ambassador to Washington may be the most thankless task he has ever undertaken.

When Antonov first arrived in the second half of 2017, a controversy erupted over Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election brought Donald Trump to the White House. Few people wanted to be seen with Antonov, and he complained that he could not get meetings on Capitol Hill.

However, he redoubled his efforts to gain public attention. His embassy hosted film screenings, jazz concerts and other cultural events. He even launched a now-defunct podcast for Americans. Antonov has made occasional appearances at think tank events and has been spotted outside of the US capital.

Despite all this, he stuck to the Kremlin's viewpoint, such as denying Russia had any role in disrupting the U.S. election.

Despite his best efforts, US-Russian relations continued to slide even into the Antonov era, even though Trump personally flirted with Putin. Both countries have taken tit-for-tat steps, expelling each other's diplomats, imposing sanctions and forcibly closing consulates. The COVID-19 pandemic has further limited the activities of Antonov and his embassy.

The US embassy in Moscow, which relied heavily on local Russian staff, has reduced its workforce from about 1200 to nearly 130. The Russian embassy in Washington, normally not staffed by Americans, is left with about 170 diplomats and staff. Embassy officials estimate that since May 2021, about 100 employees have been laid off or will soon be laid off.

Nearly two dozen retiring employees, including the chef, are due to leave by the end of June. "What trouble could my cook create for the security of the United States if he stays here?" Antonov asks.

The Russian ambassador notes with relief that neither country has severed diplomatic relations. The Russian embassy maintains what it calls "technical" or lower-level contacts with the administration of President Joe Biden. But he laments a lack of contact with senior administration officials and says his letters to U.S. representatives and senators asking for meetings after Biden's election were met with a rebuff.

This, he says, cannot go on forever.

“We are doomed to cooperate on various issues,” Antonov said. “Even under such conditions, it is impossible to imagine that the problems of strategic stability, climate change, coronavirus, the fight against terrorism, the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction could be solved without the active participation of the United States and Russia.”

Representatives of the White House-based National Security Council did not comment, despite repeated questions about contacts with Antonov and his embassy.

The State Department said: “The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs maintains diplomatic relations with the Russian Embassy in Washington. It's a complicated relationship, but the lines of communication remain open."

Outlaw

It's hard to keep your distance from the top spokesman for one of the world's largest nuclear powers in Washington, but there's a downside to the interaction, former US officials and analysts say.

First, it could damage a person's reputation in foreign policy circles if they are suspected of talking to Antonov, given the widespread bipartisan discontent with Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

This, of course, depends on your political preferences. Earlier this month, Antonov was the keynote speaker at a conference hosted by the Schiller Institute, an organization with ties to the late fringe politician Lyndon LaRouche.

There is a perception among current and former US officials that Antonov - or any other Russian ambassador - does not have much influence in the Kremlin. The Russian Foreign Ministry and perhaps even the wily Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seem to be on the sidelines when it comes to making decisions about Ukraine.

It is not even clear what influence the Russian security forces have on Putin, the only one who matters.

“At this point, I don’t think anyone really considers him a confidant of Moscow,” Gavin Wild, a former National Security Council official who has dealt with Russia, said of Antonov. “Why give him a trolling platform?”

In 2021, after Biden took over as president of the United States and called Putin a "murderer" in an interview, Moscow recalled Antonov for about three months. US Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan was also expelled from Russia for much of the same period.

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Top diplomatic officials returned to their posts after the Biden-Putin summit in Geneva in June 2021. Antonov said at the time that he was in an "optimistic mood". He probably had no idea what Putin meant about Ukraine.

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