Vladimir Putin, former US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy, and former French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Levy in front of the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower.Image source, BBC/Getty Images
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Ex-US and French ambassadors Lynne Tracy and Pierre Lévy were among those to speak to the BBC of their time in Moscow

ByLiza FokhtSenior reporter, BBC News Russian
  • Published26 minutes ago

"Being the ambassador to Russia was probably the hardest assignment of my career," Lynne Tracy, who represented the US in Moscow from 2023 and 2025, tells the BBC.

US, UK and European diplomats once played a crucial role in Russia, defusing tensions even at the worst moments of the Cold War.