Alexander Darchiev, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, has died suddenly in Moscow at the age of 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.

The ministry said Darchiev “passed away suddenly” on 11 November, describing him as an “exceptional professional”. In a post on X, it said: “The Russian Foreign Ministry announces with profound sorrow that Alexander Darchiev, Ambassador of Russia to the USA, passed away suddenly on November 11, aged 66.” Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said later that he had died in Moscow after a chronic illness. The illness was not identified.

Darchiev had left the embassy in Washington and returned to Moscow, where he was receiving treatment for a long-term illness, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Zakharova said details of a memorial service would be released later.

The ministry posted the announcement on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday evening in Moscow, and the state news agencies Interfax and RIA Novosti carried the statement in full.

A career diplomat

President Vladimir Putin appointed Darchiev ambassador to Washington in March 2025, succeeding Anatoly Antonov. He was charged with leading efforts to repair relations with the Trump administration, at a time when the rapprochement between Moscow and Washington was rattling Ukraine and European countries.

Darchiev was a veteran diplomat known for his sharp public denunciations of the West. Before taking the Washington post, he served as Russia’s ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2021, and headed the Foreign Ministry’s North Atlantic Department, making him one of the ministry’s most experienced hands on North America. He was born in 1960, according to biographical notes issued by the Russian embassy in Washington.

His appointment in March 2025 came as Trump returned to office and sought a reset with Moscow, and Darchiev became the public face of that effort in Washington, pressing Russia’s case in interviews and at public events.

Reaction and what happens next

A US State Department spokesperson told CNN that Washington was aware of Darchiev’s death and offered condolences to his family and loved ones. The Foreign Ministry said its leadership and staff mourned his death with deep sorrow.

No successor in Washington has been named, and it was not immediately clear who would lead the embassy in the interim. The ministry has not said when a new ambassador will be appointed.

Darchiev’s death comes at a sensitive moment for Russian-American relations. On Thursday, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow to discuss the latest round of Ukraine negotiations in Abu Dhabi, before travelling to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The ambassador’s post will now stand vacant as that diplomacy continues.

Sources: CNN | Reuters via KWSN | Clash Report