Sergey Kislyak
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Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak ( rus, Серге́й Ива́нович Кисля́к, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ kʲɪˈslʲak; born 7 September 1950) is a
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
senior
diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
and politician. Since September 2017, he has represented
Mordovia The Republic of Mordovia (russian: Респу́блика Мордо́вия, r=Respublika Mordoviya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə mɐrˈdovʲɪjə; mdf, Мордовия Республиксь, ''Mordovija Respublikś''; myv, Мордовия Рес ...
in the
Federation Council The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...
, the upper chamber of the Russian legislature. Previously he served as the Ambassador of Russia to the United States from 2008 to 2017. From 2003 to 2008, he was the
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a Cabinet (government), cabinet Minister (government), minister in charge of a sovereign state, state's foreign policy and foreign ...
, and from 1998 to 2003, he served as the Ambassador of Russia to Belgium and Russia's Head of Mission to
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
. Dubbed "the diplomat's diplomat" by
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
, Kislyak was Russia's highest level presence in the U.S. during his nine-year tenure in Washington, D.C., a period of increasing political tension between the two countries. Kislyak became a key figure in the investigation of
Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections The Russian government interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with the goals of harming the campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the candidacy of Donald Trump, and increasing political and social discord in the United States. Acc ...
, receiving significant media coverage while denying that Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee. However, Kislyak's meetings with advisers to then President-elect
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
became a subject of investigation by U.S. intelligence officials. In May 2017, Trump held a meeting with Kislyak and
Sergei Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (russian: Сергей Викторович Лавров, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat and politician who has served as the Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004. Lavrov served as the Permanent Represe ...
and disclosed classified information about ISIS, an incident which was leaked to the press and became a scandal. After nearly a decade in the U.S., Kislyak returned to Moscow in July 2017 and was formally relieved of his duties in August, succeeded by
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a Cabinet (government), cabinet Minister (government), minister in charge of a sovereign state, state's foreign policy and foreign ...
Anatoly Antonov Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov (born 15 May 1955) is a Russian military officer and diplomat who is currently the Ambassador of Russia to the United States, formally replacing Sergey Kislyak on 21 August 2017 by Decree of the President of Russia, ...
.


Early life

Kislyak was born in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, to
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
parents. Kislyak graduated from the
Moscow Engineering Physics Institute National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) (russian: Национальный исследовательский ядерный университет "МИФИ" / НИЯУ МИФИ or ) is a technical un ...
in 1973 and the USSR Academy of Foreign Trade in 1977. He is fluent in English and French.


Diplomatic career

Kislyak joined the diplomatic service in 1977, working with the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1981 to 1985, Kislyak was the Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Soviet Union to the United Nations in New York City. From 1985 to 1989, Kislyak was the First Secretary, Counsellor at the Embassy of the Soviet Union in Washington, D.C. From 1989 to 1991, Kislyak was the Deputy Director of the Department of International Organisations at the
Soviet Foreign Ministry The Ministry of External Relations (MER) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (russian: Министерство иностранных дел СССР) was founded on 6 July 1923. It had three names during its existence: People's Co ...
. From 1991 to 1993, Kislyak was the Deputy Director of the Department of International Scientific and Technical Cooperation at the
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with lea ...
. From 1993 to 1995, Kislyak was the Director of the Department of International Scientific and Technical Cooperation. From 1995 to 1998, Kislyak was the Director of the Department of Security Affairs and Disarmament at the Russian Foreign Ministry. In 1998, Kislyak was the
Ambassador of Russia to Belgium The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Belgium is the official representative of the President of Russia, President and the Government of the Russian Federation to the Monarchy of Belgium, Kin ...
with a residence in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, and he also served as the
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to NATO The following is a list of Permanent Representatives of Russia to international organisations. United Nations The Permanent Representatives of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in the New York City, United States and representatives of ...
. From 2003 to 2008, Kislyak served as a Deputy Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was Russia's negotiator on the six-party Iran denuclearization talks prior to his appointment as ambassador to the United States.


Ambassador to the United States

Kislyak became the
Ambassador of Russia to the United States The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States of America is the official representative of the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation to the President of ...
on 26 July 2008, when he was appointed by then
Russian President The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
. For many years, Kislyak held a low profile in the press but socialized in Washington, D.C. diplomatic circles, known for his lavish parties at the Russian compound at Pioneer Point, Maryland. Kislyak has been called an experienced and polished diplomat who is friendly but aggressive in promoting Russian interests. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called Kislyak "the most prominent, if politically radioactive, ambassador in Washington." According to a ''Times'' profile in March 2017, "He has interacted with American officials for decades and been a fixture on the Washington scene for the past nine years, jowly and cordial with an easy smile and fluent if accented English, yet a pugnacity in advocating Russia's assertive policies." According to a profile in ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'', people who know Kislyak describe the ambassador "as intelligent but an unyielding advocate for the Kremlin line." As the veteran ambassador to the United States, Kislyak became the subject of intense scrutiny and media coverage in 2017 in the wake of allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and that he held meetings with top advisers to then president-elect
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. In February 2017,
Michael T. Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born December 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general and conspiracy theorist who was the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor for the first 22 days of the Trump administration. He resigned in light of ...
was forced to resign as National Security Adviser when it emerged he lied about meetings with Kislyak.
John Beyrle John Ross Beyrle (born February 11, 1954) is an American diplomat. A career Foreign Service Officer and specialist in Russian and Eastern European affairs, he served as Ambassador of the United States to the Russian Federation from July 3, 2008, ...
, the U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2008 to 2012, said that Kislyak is "a professional diplomat, not a politician. I'm sure he's surprised to have acquired such notoriety recently. I'm sure he's probably not enjoying his time in the limelight." On 10 May 2017 immediately after meeting with
Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...
and one day after firing FBI Director
James Comey James Brien Comey Jr. (; born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his dismissal in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adul ...
, U.S. President Donald Trump invited Kislyak and
Sergei Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (russian: Сергей Викторович Лавров, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat and politician who has served as the Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004. Lavrov served as the Permanent Represe ...
to meet with him in the
Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...
. This meeting received significant coverage as it was closed to U.S. press, but the Russians brought in a photographer from state agency
TASS The Russian News Agency TASS (russian: Информацио́нное аге́нтство Росси́и ТАСС, translit=Informatsionnoye agentstvo Rossii, or Information agency of Russia), abbreviated TASS (russian: ТАСС, label=none) ...
, and released photos of Trump, Kisylak and Lavrov laughing together. On 15 May, it was revealed that during this meeting, Trump disclosed classified information about ISIL's bomb-making capabilities without taking the appropriate protocols, which was leaked to the press. In the fall of 2016, replacements for Kislyak were being considered as it was planned for him to end his lengthy tenure in D.C. In May 2017, General
Anatoly Antonov Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov (born 15 May 1955) is a Russian military officer and diplomat who is currently the Ambassador of Russia to the United States, formally replacing Sergey Kislyak on 21 August 2017 by Decree of the President of Russia, ...
, the Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
was approved to succeed him as ambassador to the United States. Antonov, who has been called a "
bull terrier The Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. There is also a miniature version of this breed which is officially known as the Miniature Bull Terrier. Appearance The Bull Terrier's most recognizable feature is its head, described ...
" because of his reputation as a hardliner, is expected to take a more aggressive approach to negotiations with the United States. Kislyak returned to Moscow at the end of July 2017. On 21 August 2017, Putin formally released Kislyak from his duties as ambassador by
decree of the President of Russia A Decree of the President of the Russian Federation (russian: Указ Президента Российской Федерации; ''Ukaz Prezidenta Rossiyskoy Federatsii'') or Executive Order (Decree) of the President of Russia is a legal act ( ...
.


2016 US Presidential election controversy

Kislyak has emerged as a central figure in the scandal involving
Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election The Russian government interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with the goals of harming the campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the candidacy of Donald Trump, and increasing political and social discord in the United States. Acc ...
, particularly through his contacts with Donald Trump officials including
Jeff Sessions Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United State ...
,
Michael Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born December 24, 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general and conspiracy theorist who was the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor for the first 22 days of the Trump administration. He resigned in light of ...
and
Jared Kushner Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He served as a senior advisor to 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Since leaving the White House, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a pri ...
. Sessions, later the
United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
, denied any contact with Russian officials during the campaign but was forced to recuse himself from the Russian investigation after the
Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
acknowledged he had spoken with Kislyak twice in 2016. In July 2016, Kislyak held a "diplomacy conference" at the
Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
in
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, during which his interactions with Trump officials became the subject of denial and controversy. In a speech in October 2016 in Detroit, Kislyak denied ever meeting with anyone involved in the Trump campaign. However, it later emerged that
J. D. Gordon Jeffrey D. "J.D." Gordon is an American communications and foreign policy adviser, who served as a The Pentagon, Pentagon spokesman during the George W. Bush Administration and later a national security adviser to Donald Trump. Gordon is a retir ...
and
Carter Page Carter William Page (born June 3, 1971) is an American petroleum industry consultant and a former foreign-policy adviser to Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential election campaign. Page is the founder and managing partner of Global Energy C ...
had spoken with Kislyak at the RNC. Kislyak did not attend the
2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
. In a November 2016 speech at
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, Kislyak denied that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections. In the same speech, Kisylak accused the United States of waging a "huge propaganda campaign against Russia" and stated that the American-Russian relationship was currently at "the worst point in our relations after the end of the Cold War. You've re-entered a policy of containing Russia … You've tried to contain Russia through economic pressure and through sanctions." On 29 December 2016, the same day that the United States announced new sanctions against Russia for interfering with the election, Kislyak and then-U.S.
National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National sec ...
designate Michael Flynn had multiple telephone conversations and exchanged text messages. The phone calls are the subject of an investigation by U.S. counterintelligence agents. White House Press Secretary
Sean Spicer Sean Michael Spicer (born September 23, 1971) is a former American political aide who served as the 30th White House Press Secretary and as White House Communications Director under President Donald Trump in 2017. Spicer was communications dire ...
stated in early January 2017 that the calls related to arranging a conversation between
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
and
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
. However, Kislyak's calls were monitored under standard foreign intelligence practice, and it was revealed that Flynn and Kislyak had discussed sanctions. On 13 February 2017, Flynn was forced to resign from his position as National Security Advisor over his communication with Kislyak. On 1 March 2017, ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' reported that
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
Jeff Sessions had spoken twice to Ambassador Kislyak, once in July 2016 and once in September 2016, during Sessions' tenure as
US senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
on the
Senate Armed Services Committee The Committee on Armed Services (sometimes abbreviated SASC for ''Senate Armed Services Committee'') is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defe ...
. During Sessions'
Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, a ...
confirmation hearing on 10 January 2017, Sessions was questioned under oath about "possible contacts between members of President Trump's campaign and representatives of Moscow" and expressed no knowledge of such contact. On 2 March, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' later reported that Kislyak met with Flynn and Kushner in December 2016, which the White House said was to establish a diplomatic line of communication with the Trump administration. That same day, Sessions agreed to recuse himself from any involvement with the federal investigation into Russian election interference. On 26 May 2017, ''The Washington Post'' reported that U.S. intelligence officials had, in the course of monitoring Kislyak in December, overheard him discussing a request from Jared Kushner to establish a secret, secure channel to communicate with the Kremlin that would not be monitored by U.S. intelligence. Kislyak was reporting Kushner's request to use "diplomatic facilities in the United States" when it was intercepted by U.S. intelligence. According to the report, "Kislyak reportedly was taken aback by the suggestion of allowing an American to use Russian communications gear at its embassy or consulate — a proposal that would have carried security risks for Moscow as well as the Trump team." ''The Washington Post'' said that Russian officials occasionally leak "false information into communication streams it suspects are monitored as a way of sowing misinformation and confusion among U.S. analysts," but that U.S. officials stated it was unclear what Kislyak would have gained by falsely reporting such an encounter at a time when the Kremlin was envisioning improved diplomatic relations under the incoming Trump administration. ''The New York Times'' reported that it had confirmed Kislyak's report with three officials.


Allegations of espionage

Kislyak's connection to
Russian intelligence The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation ( rus, Служба внешней разведки Российской Федерации, r=Sluzhba vneshney razvedki Rossiyskoy Federatsii , p=ˈsluʐbə ˈvnʲɛʂnʲɪj rɐˈzvʲɛ ...
has been debated in the United States. CNN alleged that
U.S. intelligence The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
officials have claimed Kislyak is a leading Russian spy and spy recruiter, which Russian officials have denied. According to ABC News, former U.S. ambassadors and analysts contradicted with "strong skepticism" the claim that Kislyak is a spy. According to ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'', "People who have worked closely with Kislyak doubt the ambassador was up to anything more than just doing his job." and quoted
Michael McFaul Michael Anthony McFaul (born October 1, 1963) is an American academic and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. McFaul is currently the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor in International Studi ...
former U.S. ambassador to Russia as saying "On political involvement, I personally don't think he crossed any lines". Russian officials "expressed anger" at the allegations against their ambassador, with
Russian Foreign Ministry The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with lea ...
spokeswoman
Maria Zakharova Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova (russian: Мария Владимировна Захарова; born 24 December 1975) is the Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (Spokesw ...
calling it "the low professional standards of the American news media." German-American author and former
KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
spy
Jack Barsky Jack Philip Barsky (born Albrecht Dittrich, 18 May 1949) is a German-American author, IT specialist and former sleeper agent of the KGB who spied on the United States from 1978 to 1988. Exposed after the Cold War, Barsky became a resource for U. ...
, however, evaluated Kislyak as a "very experienced operative" and told CNN that when Kislyak was sent to the United States in the early 1980s as a low-level diplomat, it is certain he would have been either a KGB agent or reporting directly to the KGB.
James Clapper James Robert Clapper Jr. (born March 14, 1941) is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and former Director of National Intelligence. Clapper has held several key positions within the United States Intelligence Community. H ...
, former U.S.
Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Commu ...
, stated that Kislyak "oversees a very aggressive intelligence operation in this country... and so to suggest that he is somehow separate or oblivious to that is a bit much". According to
Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ma ...
's
Leonid Bershidsky Leonid Davidovich Bershidsky ( rus, Леони́д Дави́дович Берши́дский; born November 23, 1971) is a Russian journalist, publisher and columnist for ''Bloomberg View'', the editorial division of Bloomberg News. He is curr ...
, during former FBI Director
James Comey James Brien Comey Jr. (; born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his dismissal in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adul ...
's Congressional testimony on June 8, 2017, Comey "made it clear he didn't consider Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to be an intelligence officer ... Comey said it was not improper for an incoming national security adviser to be in touch with a foreign diplomat. He also said, twice, that a story in an February issue of ''The New York Times'', headlined "Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence" and quoting unnamed officials, was gravely flawed. And he stated that closing the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's contacts with Kislyak wouldn't be likely to impede the overall investigation into Russian interference; the two investigations, he added, were "touching but separate".


Political career

On 21 August 2017, the same day Kislyak's term as Russian Ambassador to the United States ended, he announced his plans to enter politics as a candidate for the
Federation Council of Russia The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...
representing the
Republic of Mordovia The Republic of Mordovia (russian: Респу́блика Мордо́вия, r=Respublika Mordoviya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə mɐrˈdovʲɪjə; mdf, Мордовия Республиксь, ''Mordovija Respublikś''; myv, Мордовия Рес ...
, one of Russia's
federal subjects The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation (russian: субъекты Российской Федерации, subyekty Rossiyskoy Federatsii) or simply as the subjects of the federation (russian ...
. He visited Mordovia and met with
Vladimir Volkov Vladimir Volkov ( sr-Cyrl, Владимир Волков; born 6 June 1986) is a retired professional footballer. Born in Serbia, Volkov represented Montenegro internationally. Club career Early career Born in Serbian capital Belgrade,
, the interim
Head of the Republic of Mordovia The position of the Head of the Republic of Mordovia (formerly known as the President of the Republic of Mordovia) is the highest office within the Government of the Republic of Mordovia in Russia. The Head is elected by citizens of Russia residin ...
, and toured venues under construction for the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
. The election was scheduled for 10 September. The two other candidates were Mikhail Sezganov, chief federal inspector for Mordovia, and Pyotr Tultayev, mayor of
Saransk Saransk (russian: Саранск, p=sɐˈransk; mdf, Саранск ошсь, Saransk oš; myv, Саран ош, Saran oš) is the capital city of the Republic of Mordovia, Russia, as well as its financial and economic centre. It is located i ...
, the republic's capital. After winning the election, Vladimir Volkov officially announced that he would appoint Sergey Kislyak, the new Senator from Mordovia.Бывший посол Сергей Кисляк станет сенатором от Мордовии
/ref>


See also

*'' Mueller Report'' *
Foreign electoral intervention Foreign electoral interventions are attempts by governments, covertly or overtly, to influence elections in another country. Academic studies Intervention measurements Theoretical and empirical research on the effect of foreign electoral inte ...
*
Russia–United States relations Russia and the United States maintain one of the most important, critical and strategic foreign relations in the world. Both nations have shared interests in nuclear safety and security, nonproliferation, counterterrorism, and space exploration. ...
*
Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections This is a timeline of events related to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It includes events described in investigations into suspected inappropriate links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian official ...
*
Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day) This is a timeline of events related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It includes events described in investigations into suspected inappropriate links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials foll ...
*
Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections This is a chronology of significant events in 2016 and 2017 regarding links between Trump associates and Russian officials, links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials during the Presidential transition of Donald Trump, Trump ...
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Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (January–June 2017) The timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia is split into the following pages: November 8, 2016–January 2017 * Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections 2017 * Timel ...
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Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (July–December 2017) The timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia is split into the following pages: November 8, 2016–January 2017 * Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections 2017 * Timel ...
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Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (January–June 2018) The timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia is split into the following pages: November 8, 2016–January 2017 * Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections 2017 * Timel ...
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Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (July–December 2018) The timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia is split into the following pages: November 8, 2016–January 2017 * Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections 2017 * Timel ...
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Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (2019–2020) The timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia is split into the following pages: November 8, 2016–January 2017 * Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections 2017 * Timel ...


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kislyak, Sergey 1950 births Living people Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Russian Federation) Ambassadors of Russia to Belgium Ambassadors of Russia to the United States Heads of Mission of Russia to NATO Russian people of Ukrainian descent Soviet diplomats Moscow Engineering Physics Institute alumni Diplomats from Moscow Russians associated with interference in the 2016 United States elections Members of the Federation Council of Russia (after 2000) Politicians from Moscow