Kislyak ends stint as ambassador to US
Trump says he has ‘complete power’ to pardon
WASHINGTON: Russia’s ambassador to Washington Sergei Kislyak, a key figure in ongoing United States investigations into Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election, ended his tenure yesterday.
The news came as a surprise after US President Donald Trump insisted he has the ‘‘complete power’’ to pardon people, amid reports he was considering presidential pardons for family members, aides and even himself.
The Russian embassy in Washington said on its Twitter feed that Ministercounsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission Denis V. Gonchar would serve as charge d’affaires until Kislyak’s successor arrived.
Kislyak, who held the post since 2008, is expected to be replaced by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Antonov.
Antonov’s nomination for the post, which has yet to be approved by the Kremlin, comes at a time of intense scrutiny over MoscowWashington relations following US allegations that Russia meddled in the US election last year.
Kislyak’s name has emerged in relation to several of Trump’s associates as a special counsel and congressional panels investigate Russian meddling and possible ties with the Trump campaign.
On Saturday, the Washington Post reported Kislyak was overheard by US spy agencies telling his bosses he had discussed campaignrelated matters, including issues important to Moscow, with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race.
As Attorneygeneral, Sessions recused himself in March from matters connected to an investigation by the FBI following his admission he had talked to the Russian envoy.
Sessions has denied discussing campaign issues with Russian officials and has said he met Kislyak only in his role of US senator.
Former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign in February after it became known that he had failed to disclose the content of conversations he had with Kislyak.
Trump’s senior adviser and soninlaw Jared Kushner also failed to disclose contacts with Russia when seeking his security clearance, the New York Times reported in April.
The White House disclosed in March that Kushner met Kislyak at Trump Tower in December 2016, in addition to seeing Kislyak when he attended an April 2016 campaign speech in Washington.
Kushner also phoned Kislyak between April and November 2016. — Reuters