Anatoly Antonov Photo by Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, has not spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. In fact, the last time Antonov spoke directly with Putin was in 2017, just before he was sent to Washington, DC, Politico reported on Monday.
Asked about his lack of contact with Putin, Antonov told Politico: “I have had enough conversations with senior officials in the Kremlin, in various agencies.” Russia, he said, has “another system.” In addition, talking to Putin on the phone would only “enable the FBI to listen to everything Mr. Putin could say. [to] I.”
Since the beginning of the invasion, Antonov has also found himself increasingly isolated in Washington. “I don’t think anyone really thinks he’s Moscow’s plenipotentiary,” Gavin Wilde, a former National Security Council official, told Politico.
In the interview, Antonov dutifully followed the Kremlin’s talks, calling the invasion a “special military operation”, parroting fears about the Nazis in Ukraine and condemning “Russophobia”. He also said he believed that Ukraine had a right to be [a] sovereign state “, but that it does not” know what will be in the future “.
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