Yuri Ushakov

Yuri Viktorovich Ushakov (Russian: Юрий Викторович Ушаков; born 13 March 1947) is a Russian and former Soviet diplomat who served as the Ambassador of Russia to the United States from 1998 until 2008. Since 2012, he has been an advisor to the President of Russia on foreign policy issues. He has the federal state civilian service rank of 1st class Active State Councillor of the Russian Federation.^[1]

Yuri Ushakov
Юрий Ушаков
Ushakov in 2023
Aide to the President of Russia for Foreign Policy
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 May 2012
President	Vladimir Putin
Ambassador of Russia to the United States
In office 22 January 1999 – 31 May 2008
President	Boris Yeltsin Vladimir Putin Dmitry Medvedev
Preceded by	Yuli Vorontsov
Succeeded by	Sergey Kislyak
Personal details
Born	(1947-03-13) 13 March 1947 (age 78) Moscow, Soviet Union
Citizenship	Soviet Union (1947–1991) Russia (from 1991)
Children	1
Alma mater	Moscow State Institute of International Relations Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union
Occupation	Diplomat
Awards	Honored Employee of the Diplomatic Service of the Russian Federation;

Early career

Ushakov is a graduate of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and entered the service of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1970. In the same year he was sent to the Soviet Embassy, Copenhagen. Returning to Moscow, he worked in the Department of the Scandinavian Countries, in the General Secretariat. He completed advanced training courses at the Diplomatic Academy, defended his Ph.D. thesis on the foreign policy of the countries of northern Europe.

From 1986 to 1992. he was Counsellor-Envoy of the Embassy of the USSR and Russia in Denmark. He was the Russian Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from 1996 to 1998.

Envoy to Washington

He was appointed Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States in December 1998.

He commented on the Beslan school massacre in North Ossetia-Alania, Russia:^[2]

It is already clear that terrorists will never stop killing us if they are not stopped and eliminated with all the power and might of our nation and that of the civilized world.

He served until president Dmitry Medvedev replaced him with Sergey Kislyak on 31 May 2008.^[3]

In government

Ushakov with Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in St. Petersburg, 18 June 2015

Ushakov with Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 10th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, 27 July 2018

The "Normandy Format" talks in October 2019 where Ushakov sits aside Sergei Lavrov.

From June 2008 to May 2012 Ushakov was Deputy Chief of the Government Staff of the Russian Federation. Since May 2012 he has been Aide to the President of the Russian Federation responsible for international affairs in the Presidential Administration.^[4]

In June 2019, Ushakov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping would sign a new declaration on their "global partnership and strategic cooperation, which are entering a new era", saying that "the positions of Russia and China are very close or coincide completely on most international issues."^[5]

In February 2022, he dismissed US warnings that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine, saying: "We don't understand why they are spreading clearly false information about Russian intentions."^[6]

In July 2023, Ushakov told Russian media that 49 out of 54 African states had confirmed the participation of their delegations at the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit in St. Petersburg.^[7]

Personal life

Ushakov's family consists of him, his wife, and a daughter. According to his income declaration, Ushakov earned 8,736,043 rubles in 2018, while his spouse earned 214,527 rubles during the same period.^[8] In 2022, an investigation by the "Metla" publication revealed that the Ushakov family owned real estate valued at over 700 million rubles.^[9] Additionally, Yuri Ushakov is fluent in English and Danish.

Honors

Russian honors

• Badge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "For Contribution to International Cooperation" (2017)^[10]
• Medal "For Contribution to the Creation of the Eurasian Economic Union" 1st class (2015)^[11]
• Order of Seraphim of Sarov, 2nd Degree (2013)^[12]
• Order of Friendship (2008)^[13]
• First Class of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (2007)^[14]
• Honored Worker of the Diplomatic Service of the Russian Federation (2006)^[15]
• Medal of the Order of Honour (2004)^[16]
• Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (1996)^[17]
• Honorary Worker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation^[18]

Foreign honours

• Order of Manas (Kyrgyzstan, 2017)^[19][20]
• Order of Friendship (Kazakhstan, 2019)^[21]
• Order of the Serbian Flag (Serbia, 2019)^[22]

Diplomatic rank

• Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador, 1st Class (March 18, 1992)^[23]
• Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador (November 10, 1995)^[24]