Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov is a Russian military official and diplomat who is currently the Ambassador of Russia to the United States, formally replacing Sergey Kislyak on 21 August 2017 by presidential decree. With a reputation as a hardliner and tough negotiator, Antonov took up his post in Washington, D.C. on 1 September 2017. He was formerly Deputy Minister of Defence and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Since 2015, he has been under sanctions of the European Union and Canada, in response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.

Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak is a Russian senior diplomat and politician. Since September 2017, he has represented Mordovia in the Federation Council, 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, and from 1998 to 2003, he served as the Ambassador of Russia to Belgium and Russia's Head of Mission to NATO.