SALT LAKE CITY — The new U.S. ambassador to Russia, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., is already in Moscow and will present his diplomatic credentials to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Huntsman was confirmed to the key post in President Donald Trump's administration by the U.S. Senate Thursday and was sworn in a day later. Sunday evening, the American Embassy in Moscow tweeted a photo of Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye.
"Welcome to Russia Amb and Mrs. Huntsman," the embassy's spokeswoman, Maria Olson, posted on Twitter. Both the embassy and the Russian news agency, TASS, posted stories about the ambassador's arrival and meeting with Putin.
The Russian news agency described the meeting as a ceremony that will be held in the Kremlin, symbolizing the start of a diplomat's work in Russia. Putin is expected to welcome Huntsman and possibly other ambassadors, and give a short speech.
On Saturday, Huntsman could be back in Utah, for a ceremonial swearing in event tentatively planned for him at the Utah State Capitol.
Huntsman stepped down at the start of his second term as governor in 2009 to become U.S. ambassador to China under former President Barack Obama. He left Beijing to make a run for president in the 2012 election.
His diplomatic experience also includes stints as the U.S. ambassador to Singapore under former President George H.W. Bush and as a U.S. deputy trade representative under former President George W. Bush.
Huntsman's latest posting comes amid multiple investigations, including by a special counsel into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties to the Trump campaign.
America's relationship with Russia has "reached another low point," Huntsman's predecessor in Moscow, John Tefft, wrote in an op-ed for the Moscow Times posted on the day of his departure last week.
Tuesday's meeting between Huntsman and Putin may be little more than a chance "to make a good first impression," BYU political science professor Scott Cooper, an expert on Russian politics, said.
"An opportunity to at least shake Putin's hand is an opportunity to kind of make eye contact with him and get off to a good start," Cooper said. "But I don't think it has a bigger kind of meaning in U.S.-Russian relations."
Still, he said, substantive discussions will likely come soon enough.
"I'm sure the Russians have a long list of complaints about U.S. policy that they will make the ambassador aware of the first chance that they get," Cooper said. "But it may not be at the ceremony. It may be the day after tomorrow."
Huntsman may have already heard some of those concerns.
Russia Today, citing TASS as a source, reported that Huntsman met Monday with Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov after presenting his credentials to the foreign ministry.
"A number of topical issues on the bilateral agenda of Russian-U.S. relations were discussed," according to the Russia Today story, which did not provide further details.