Trump excludes Russian officials from inauguration invite

"No one will represent Russia at the inauguration," said Yuri Ushakov, assistant to the Russian president, as quoted by the TASS agency. He added that the acting Russian chargé d'affaires in the USA would attend the ceremony if he receives an appropriate invitation.

The inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump will take place on 20th January. He will take the oath of allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and officially assume office. Traditionally, Russia is represented by an ambassador at such events, but the new head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington has not yet been appointed.

In October 2024, Vladimir Putin signed a decree relieving Anatoly Antonov of his duties as Russian ambassador to the USA and permanent observer to the Organisation of American States. At the end of November, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the new Russian ambassador to the United States would likely be Alexander Darchiev, director of the North America department of the Russian MFA and former Russian ambassador to Canada.

Darchiev is considered an experienced diplomat, specializing in Russian-American relations.

At the end of 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Washington welcomed Moscow's proposed candidate for the position of Russian ambassador, and the date of his departure is being planned, taking into account Donald Trump's inauguration.

On Thursday, Putin's assistant said that the president is ready for a conversation with Trump, which could happen "at any moment."

"This is not a demarche (absence of a Russian ambassador in the USA - editor's note). The Americans, regarding their attitude towards the new candidate, said they are pleased with the appointment of a professional who has dedicated most of his career to Soviet-American, Russian-American relations," Lavrov said at the time.