Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov (born 15 May 1955) is a Russian military officer and diplomat who is currently the

Ambassador of Russia to the United States The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States of America is the official representative of the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation to the President of ...

, formally replacing

Sergey Kislyak Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak ( rus, Серге́й Ива́нович Кисля́к, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ kʲɪˈslʲak; born 7 September 1950) is a Russian senior diplomat and politician. Since September 2017, he has represented Mord ...

on 21 August 2017 by

presidential decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

. With a reputation as a hardliner and tough negotiator, Antonov took up his post in Washington, D.C. on 1 September 2017. He was formerly Deputy Minister of Defence and Deputy

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

. Since 2015, he has been under sanctions of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

and Canada, in response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.

Early life and education

Antonov was born on 15 May 1955 in

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. In 1978, Antonov graduated from the

Moscow State Institute of International Relations Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (russian: Московский государственный институт международных отношений (МГИМО), also known as MGIMO University) is an institute of ...

(MGIMO), and in 1983 received a master's degree. In 2012, he earned his doctorate of political science from the

Institute of World Economy and International Relations The Institute of World Economy and International Relations (russian: Институт мировой экономики и международных отношений), or IMEMO, is a leading independent research institute based in Moscow, Russ ...

in Moscow. His doctoral dissertation was entitled ''Controlling nuclear weapons as a factor in ensuring national and international security''. He is fluent in English and Burmese.

Career

Antonov began his diplomatic career after earning his undergraduate degree in 1978. He spent the next 30 years at the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its successor, the

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with lea ...

, where his area of speciality was control of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. In 2004, he was appointed Director of the Department for Security and Disarmament. On 2 February 2011, he was promoted by a

Presidential Decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

to become Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation. As Deputy Minister of Defense, he was personally sanctioned by the

following Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. He had accused

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

in December 2014 of turning Ukraine into a "frontline of confrontation" with Russia. On 28 December 2016, he was appointed Deputy

. In March 2017, he was named as one of the candidates for the post of

Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations is the leader of Russia's diplomatic mission to the United Nations. Vasily Nebenzya is charged with representing Russia in the United Nations Security Council and the for ...

, after the death of

Vitaly Churkin Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin ( rus, Вита́лий Ива́нович Чу́ркин, p=vʲɪˈtalʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ˈtɕurkʲɪn; 21 February 1952 – 20 February 2017) was a Russian diplomat and former child actor. Churkin served as Russia ...

. However, in the end, it was decided to appoint

Vasily Nebenzya Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya ( rus, Василий Алексеевич Небензя; born 26 February, 1962) is a Russian diplomat and the current Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations. His official title is Ambassador Extra ...

to this post.

Ambassador to the United States

Nomination and confirmation

Antonov is considered a hardliner against the West, earning him a reputation as a "

bull terrier The Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. There is also a miniature version of this breed which is officially known as the Miniature Bull Terrier. Appearance The Bull Terrier's most recognizable feature is its head, described ...

." In early autumn 2016, he was considered to be the next

Russian Ambassador to the United States The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States of America is the official representative of the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation to the President of ...

as the Kremlin assumed that

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

would win the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

and, therefore, bilateral relations would remain strained. However, despite the fact that

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

won the election, Antonov was still chosen to take over the post from

, who had been the ambassador since 2008. In February 2017, Antonov was named the main candidate for this post. On 11 May 2017, the Russian Foreign Ministry formally submitted Antonov to the Federal Assembly, which voted to endorse him as ambassador on 18 May following a closed session of the State Duma's foreign policy committee. On 21 August 2017,

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

formally appointed Antonov as the Ambassador of Russia to the United States by

Term

Antonov was recalled to Moscow on 17 March 2021 after US President Joe Biden called Putin a "killer." The decision to return Antonov to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

was made following the results of the

2021 Russia–United States summit The 2021 Russia–United States summit (also known as Geneva 2021 or the Biden–Putin summit) was a summit meeting between United States President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on 16 June 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. History ...

Awards

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (russian: Орден «За заслуги перед Отечеством», ''Orden "Za zaslugi pered Otechestvom"'') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by P ...

IV class *

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky ( ''orden Alexandra Nevskogo'') is an order of merit of the Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious se ...

* Order of Military Merit * Order of Honour (twice) *

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds a ...

Medal "For the Return of Crimea" The Medal "For the Return of Crimea" (russian: Медаль «За возвращение Крыма», translit=Medal "Za vosvrashchenie Kryma") is a Russian campaign medal of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The existence of th ...

Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" The Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «70 лет Вооружённых Сил СССР») was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on January 28, 198 ...

*Medal "For strengthening combat Commonwealth" *Medal "For distinction in military service" I class *Medal "For distinction in military service" II class *Medal "For distinction in military service" III class

References

External links

Anatoly Antonov Profile
at Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs {{DEFAULTSORT:Antonov, Anatoly 1955 births Living people 1st class Active State Councillors of the Russian Federation Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Russian Federation) Ambassadors of Russia to the United States Politicians from Omsk Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Russia) Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni United Russia politicians Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Russian individuals subject to the European Union sanctions Military personnel from Omsk Deputy Defence Ministers of Russia