LONDON, April 4. /TASS/. US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is influencing the selection process for the US ambassador to Russia, British newspaper The Daily Mail reported, citing sources.

The post of US ambassador in Moscow has remained vacant since June 2025 after Lynne Tracy completed her tenure. According to The Daily Mail, the search for a suitable candidate has dragged on because the potential head of the diplomatic mission must align in views with Witkoff. "'This is a pattern, especially in the Trump administration - special envoys big-footing the ambassadors," a diplomatic source familiar with the region told the Daily Mail, adding, "It is shocking that we are already in April and we don't have an ambassador to one of the most important countries in the world."

One former ambassador told the newspaper that Witkoff is comfortable with a situation in which dialogue with the Russian authorities is conducted through him. "There's nobody in Moscow that does anything without his blessing - so why does he need an interlocutor getting in the way?" the source told the newspaper.

The newspaper noted that businessman Bob Foresman, who served as the deputy chairman of the investment bank Renaissance Capital in 2006-2009, and US presidential envoy for special assignments Ric Grenell had previously been considered candidates for the post of US ambassador to Russia.

At the same time, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly called the newspaper’s report "fake news." According to her, Witkoff did not interfere in the process of appointing the US ambassador to Russia.