Sullivan concludes tenure as U.S. ambassador to Russia, leaves Moscow

FILE PHOTO: U.S. ambassador to Russia John Sullivan walks past members of the Federal Protective Service as he arrives to attend a memorial service for Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, at the Column Hall of the House of Unions in Moscow, Russia September 3, 2022. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John Sullivan, a Trump appointee who told Reuters earlier this year it would take "a crowbar" to get him out of Moscow, has left Russia after finishing his tenure as U.S. ambassador there, the U.S. embassy in the country said on Sunday.

"U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation John J. Sullivan has concluded his tenure as U.S. envoy and departed Moscow today," the embassy said on its website. It said Sullivan, who was named to the post in 2019 by former President Donald Trump, had served in the post for almost three years.