Countable Explains: Who's Who in the Russia Investigation

Sergey Kislyak

Role:

Russian Envoy

Previous roles:

Ambassador to NATO from 1998 to 2003. Deputy foreign minister from 2003 to 2008.

Quotes:

"It's not going to be wished away, it's going to stay and it's going to spoil ability of both countries to resume a normalcy in our relations. And normalcy in our relationship is exactly what is missing."

— Kislyak on U.S. sanctions against Russia

Key dates:

• December 2, 2016: during the presidential transition, Kushner and Michael Flynn meet with Kislyak. According to the Washington Post, they discussed creating a "back channel" to the Kremlin.

• May 11, 2017: Kislyak meets privately with Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Also in attendance is Tillerson’s Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. (This was the meeting where Trump reportedly shared classified info.)

Current Mood:

Abroad