SALT LAKE CITY — The appointment of Jon Huntsman Jr. as the new U.S. ambassador to Russia didn't go unnoticed in the country he will call home for the next few years.

"Enter Huntsman, Trump's New Man in Moscow," reads a headline in the Moscow Times, an independent English-language publication in Russia. A subheading says, "Even as relations spiral, Washington's new ambassador is talking tough."

And as Huntsman prepares to head to the American Embassy in Moscow, his predecessor, John Tefft, penned an op-ed for the Moscow Times on the day of his departure Thursday.

Tefft noted that the U.S. relationship with Russia has "reached another low point," recalling his long State Department career that includes rising tensions with Russia after the Soviets shot down a Korean passenger airliner, killing 100 Americans.

"From the earliest days of this administration, we have said time and again that we would prefer a constructive relationship with Russia based on cooperation on common interests. We remain prepared to try to find a way forward," wrote Tefft, who arrived in Moscow in November 2014.

The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Huntsman to the key diplomatic post Thursday.

"What can Russia expect from Jon Huntsman?" says a headline in Pravda, a Russian newspaper that once was the official newspaper of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow expects the new ambassador to "remove the rubble of bilateral relations between Russia and the United States," according to Pravda.

"As soon as Huntsman arrives in Moscow, the Kremlin will immediately launch a dialogue with him to clear up the heavily obstructed way of the development of U.S.-Russian relations," Ryabkov said.

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Sputnik, a Russian-government controlled news agency, has a story under the headline, "On the Hunt for New US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman." The story quotes a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman saying Huntsman would be arriving soon and mostly recites his resume.

A Pravda headline after Huntsman was nominated in July called him a "super hawk," though the story doesn't explain what that means.

The Moscow Times article says if Huntsman's confirmation hearing is any indication, he intends to "live up to his reputation in Moscow as a hardliner."

Huntsman told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he would meet with dissidents, promote human rights and work to resolve conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. He also said there's no question, "underline no question," that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and continues to meddle with democratic processes of U.S. friends and allies.

Although Huntsman’s testimony likely riled Russian officials, the Kremlin may learn to appreciate the new ambassador, Vasily Kashin, an analyst at the Moscow-based Higher School of Economics, told the Moscow Times.

"He was very knowledgeable about China, very centered on economics, and very capable of dealing with Chinese authorities, without bringing too much ideology into relations,” Kashin said. “I think this is a good set of skills which will be welcome in Russia."

The relationship between China and the U.S. was precarious when Huntsman served as ambassador in Beijing from 2009 to 2011.

Vladimir Frolov, a Russian political analyst, isn't certain Huntsman's experience in China would be of much value.

“Where his Chinese credentials come in handy, I do not know,” Frolov told the Moscow Times. “Maybe he will have a nuanced appreciation of the tangled dynamics in the Russia-China relationship, but that’s not really part of the U.S.-Russia plate.”

Huntsman will also be "hobbled by his lack of Russian," Frolov said. “Maybe he will read Mandarin signs at GUM and TsUM, but that would not get him too far,” he quipped, referring to Russia's main department stores. Email: romboy@deseretnews.com Twitter: dennisromboy

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