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U.S. ambassador refuses to leave Russia despite Kremlin warning

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U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan. Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS via Getty ImagesThe United States ambassador to Russia is refusing to leave the country after the Kremlin "advised" him to return home following new Biden administration sanctions, two sources briefed on the situation tell Axios.Why it matters: John Sullivan, a respected diplomat who President Biden has, so far, retained from the Trump era, is at the center of one of the most important early tests of Biden's resolve.The big picture: Last week, in response to Russian cyber-espionage and interference into U.S. elections, Biden unveiled targeting the Russian economy.Flashback: Last month, Biden agreed Putin was a "killer." The Russian — accused of poisoning some of his enemies — responded by wishing the new president "good health."Between the lines: In response to the new sanctions, Russia didn't expel Sullivan — or make him a "persona non grata," "PNG" in diplomatic parlance.The intrigue: Russia is amassing thousands of troops along its border with Ukraine.The bottom line: Biden wants stability and predictability to define his relationships with Putin and Russia, while his administration focuses on China.The State Department said Monday that the U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, will now be returning to the United States this week before returning to Moscow "in the coming weeks."Why this matters: The statement, from a State Department spokesperson, comes just hours after that Sullivan had indicated he intended to stand his ground and stay in Russia after the Kremlin “advised” him to return home to talk with his team. Officials in Moscow announced Sunday that 20 Czech diplomats had 72 hours to leave Russia, after the EU nation accused Russian operatives of being behind a deadly ammunition depot explosion in 2014.Why it matters: The action, which came a day after the Czech government over the blast, marks the latest escalation in what's become the worst tension between Russia and Western nations since the Cold War. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been transferred to a hospital in another penal colony, one day after his doctor warned that the jailed Putin critic "could die at any moment," Russia's prison service said Monday.Why it matters: News that Navalny's condition had severely deteriorated on the third week of a hunger strike prompted outrage from his supporters and international demands for Russia to provide him with immediate medical treatment.Sign up for Mike Allen’s daily Axios AM and PM newsletters to get smarter, faster on the news that matters.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan. Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS via Getty ImagesThe United States ambassador to Russia is refusing to leave the country after the Kremlin "advised" him to return home following new Biden administration sanctions, two sources briefed on the situation tell Axios.Why it matters: John Sullivan, a respected diplomat who President Biden has, so far, retained from the Trump era, is at the center of one of the most important early tests of Biden's resolve.The big picture: Last week, in response to Russian cyber-espionage and interference into U.S. elections,...

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Jonathan Swan is a political reporter at Axios covering both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

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U.S. ambassador refuses to leave Russia despite Kremlin warning

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