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SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump has apparently already lined up a replacement for Jon Huntsman Jr. as U.S. ambassador to Russia.
Trump is expected to name Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan to the Moscow post, according to The New York Times.
The president told reporters in Washington, D.C., that Sullivan “could very well be” his choice.
“He’s somebody that’s being put up and respected very much,” the president told reporters in Washington, D.C. “Well, I know that (Secretary of State) Mike Pompeo likes him very much, and he’s very respected.”
Huntsman announced his resignation earlier this month and is expected to return to Utah to consider another run for governor. His resignation is effective Oct. 3. October marks two years for Huntsman in Moscow.
Sullivan, 59, has served as deputy secretary of state since May 2017. He was acting secretary of state during April 2018 after Trump fired Rex Tillerson. He also served as deputy secretary of commerce in the George W. Bush administration.
Related:
Jon Huntsman resigning as U.S. ambassador to Russia, set to consider run for Utah governor
Jon Huntsman Jr. has resigned as U.S. ambassador to Russia effective Oct. 3 and is expected to return to Utah to consider making another run for governor.A lawyer who has worked in other government departments, Sullivan would bring limited diplomatic experience in dealing with Moscow.
Russia has not been a major part of Sullivan’s government work, but last month he led a delegation of Trump administration officials who met with his Russian counterpart in Geneva to discuss arms control and other security issues, according to the Times. Last December, Sullivan toured Central and Eastern Europe, where he pressed officials on Russia’s “destabilizing” and “malign activities,” according to a State Department news release about the trip.
