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| U.S. Ambassador to Russia Resigns | U.S. Ambassador to Russia Resigns |
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| MOSCOW — The United States ambassador to Russia announced Tuesday that he would resign after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics, set to begin in Sochi on Friday, ending a stormy two-year tenure during which relations between the two countries were at their lowest ebb since the end of the Cold War. | MOSCOW — The United States ambassador to Russia announced Tuesday that he would resign after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics, set to begin in Sochi on Friday, ending a stormy two-year tenure during which relations between the two countries were at their lowest ebb since the end of the Cold War. |
| Ambassador Michael McFaul, who spearheaded a “reset” in relations between Russia and the United States as a senior adviser to President Obama during the president’s first term, often served as a lightning rod for criticism from Russian officials who accused the State Department of funding opposition politicians and interfering in the country’s internal affairs. | Ambassador Michael McFaul, who spearheaded a “reset” in relations between Russia and the United States as a senior adviser to President Obama during the president’s first term, often served as a lightning rod for criticism from Russian officials who accused the State Department of funding opposition politicians and interfering in the country’s internal affairs. |
| “After more than five years of work in the administration of President Obama, the time has come to return home,” Mr. McFaul wrote in a blog that he updated regularly, saying he wished to spend more time with his family. | “After more than five years of work in the administration of President Obama, the time has come to return home,” Mr. McFaul wrote in a blog that he updated regularly, saying he wished to spend more time with his family. |
| Mr. McFaul pointed to successes in promoting cooperation on issues including counterterrorism and cybersecurity, which he said were often “important, but little noted by the general public.” | Mr. McFaul pointed to successes in promoting cooperation on issues including counterterrorism and cybersecurity, which he said were often “important, but little noted by the general public.” |
| The blog, along with his Twitter account, were staples of Mr. McFaul’s digital diplomacy, an approach sometimes tainted by gaffes that nonetheless led to surprisingly frank exchanges between Mr. McFaul and ordinary Russians — both supporters and detractors. | The blog, along with his Twitter account, were staples of Mr. McFaul’s digital diplomacy, an approach sometimes tainted by gaffes that nonetheless led to surprisingly frank exchanges between Mr. McFaul and ordinary Russians — both supporters and detractors. |
| “Farewell, Mikhail!” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, referring to Mr. McFaul, in a curt response to the announcement on Twitter. | “Farewell, Mikhail!” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, referring to Mr. McFaul, in a curt response to the announcement on Twitter. |
| “There’s no political issue here at all whatsoever,” Mr. McFaul told reporters at Spaso House, the ambassador’s residence in Moscow, on Tuesday night. “There is no disenchantment with U.S.-Russian relations or all of those kinds of those things.” | |
| He acknowledged that the timing of his departure came months ahead of the next Group of 8 meeting that will be held this summer in Sochi, the site of the Olympic Games. He said that there would be a gap before a replacement was named and confirmed by the Senate and that that had been a consideration in his deliberations over leaving now. | |
| At the same time, he said that the areas where the United States and Russia are working together – including negotiations over Syria and Iran – would continue. “I don’t see my personal departure in anyway as a gap in that,” he said. | |
| As an adviser in the White House, Mr. McFaul helped design the New Start nuclear arms control treaty, a foreign-policy success for the Obama administration that was widely viewed as the first significant overhaul of nuclear disarmament policy since the late-Cold War era. In Russia, however, Mr. McFaul encountered a country that was willing to assert itself and redefine its relations with the United States. | As an adviser in the White House, Mr. McFaul helped design the New Start nuclear arms control treaty, a foreign-policy success for the Obama administration that was widely viewed as the first significant overhaul of nuclear disarmament policy since the late-Cold War era. In Russia, however, Mr. McFaul encountered a country that was willing to assert itself and redefine its relations with the United States. |
| He arrived in Moscow during a cycle of protests against President Vladimir V. Putin beginning in late 2011. He was soon hounded by pro-government media stations for meeting with opposition politicians, leading to a public denial in his first month in Russia that he had been sent to the country to foment revolution. | He arrived in Moscow during a cycle of protests against President Vladimir V. Putin beginning in late 2011. He was soon hounded by pro-government media stations for meeting with opposition politicians, leading to a public denial in his first month in Russia that he had been sent to the country to foment revolution. |
| The early successes of the “reset” gave way to Russia’s eviction of the United States Agency for International Development, a law banning adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans and, more recently, the granting of asylum to Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, despite demands that he face prosecution in the United States. | The early successes of the “reset” gave way to Russia’s eviction of the United States Agency for International Development, a law banning adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans and, more recently, the granting of asylum to Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, despite demands that he face prosecution in the United States. |
| When Mr. Obama canceled a summit meeting with Mr. Putin in August over tensions related to the Snowden case and different views on how to respond to the crisis in Syria, the reset in relations seemed to be in shambles, raising questions about how much more Mr. McFaul could expect to accomplish as ambassador. | When Mr. Obama canceled a summit meeting with Mr. Putin in August over tensions related to the Snowden case and different views on how to respond to the crisis in Syria, the reset in relations seemed to be in shambles, raising questions about how much more Mr. McFaul could expect to accomplish as ambassador. |
| Mr. McFaul, who noted in a post on Twitter that his wife and two sons left Russia for California last summer to arrive in time for the new school year, reiterated a desire to reunite with his family. “After 7 months of separation, I simply need to be with my family. A 9,000-kilometer commute just doesn’t work,” he wrote. | Mr. McFaul, who noted in a post on Twitter that his wife and two sons left Russia for California last summer to arrive in time for the new school year, reiterated a desire to reunite with his family. “After 7 months of separation, I simply need to be with my family. A 9,000-kilometer commute just doesn’t work,” he wrote. |
| Ben Rhodes, the director for strategic communications at the National Security Council, said in a statement that Mr. Obama was “deeply grateful” for Mr. McFaul’s tenure as an adviser and ambassador, highlighting the New Start treaty and Mr. McFaul’s engagement with civil society. | Ben Rhodes, the director for strategic communications at the National Security Council, said in a statement that Mr. Obama was “deeply grateful” for Mr. McFaul’s tenure as an adviser and ambassador, highlighting the New Start treaty and Mr. McFaul’s engagement with civil society. |
| Mr. McFaul said he planned to leave Russia “soon after the Olympics,” where he will serve as part of the United States delegation. | Mr. McFaul said he planned to leave Russia “soon after the Olympics,” where he will serve as part of the United States delegation. |