Key facts
- Russia will announce a new ambassador to Britain at an unspecified time.
- The previous ambassador, Andrei Kelin, left his post in July after more than seven years.
- Bilateral ties are described as exceptionally tense, with Britain being a key ally of Ukraine.
- Maria Zakharova stated the appointment is President Putin's prerogative.
Russia announced it will name a new ambassador to Britain in due course, weeks after its previous envoy, Andrei Kelin, departed London. Kelin's exit in July, after more than seven years, had sparked media speculation that Moscow might be downgrading diplomatic relations with the UK, a notion denied by the Russian embassy.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that the appointment of a new ambassador is the prerogative of President Vladimir Putin and is not a public matter. She characterized Kelin's service as having occurred during an extremely difficult period, citing British efforts to dismantle bilateral relations.