[6] Kislyak became a key figure in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, receiving significant media coverage while denying that Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee.

[7] In May 2017, Trump held a meeting with Kislyak and Sergei Lavrov and disclosed classified information about ISIS, an incident which was leaked to the press and became a scandal.

[8] After nearly a decade in the U.S., Kislyak returned to Moscow in July 2017 and was formally relieved of his duties in August,[1] succeeded by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Antonov.

[16] For many years, Kislyak held a low profile in the press but socialized in Washington, D.C. diplomatic circles, known for his lavish parties at the Russian compound at Pioneer Point, Maryland.

According to a Times profile in March 2017, "He has interacted with American officials for decades and been a fixture on the Washington scene for the past nine years, jowly and cordial with an easy smile and fluent if accented English, yet a pugnacity in advocating Russia's assertive policies.

"[6] As the veteran ambassador to the United States, Kislyak became the subject of intense scrutiny and media coverage in 2017 in the wake of allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and that he held meetings with top advisers to then president-elect Donald Trump.

This meeting received significant coverage as it was closed to U.S. press, but the Russians brought in a photographer from state agency TASS, and released photos of Trump, Kisylak and Lavrov laughing together.

[25] Antonov, who has been called a "bull terrier" because of his reputation as a hardliner, is expected to take a more aggressive approach to negotiations with the United States.

[1] Kislyak has emerged as a central figure in the scandal involving Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, particularly through his contacts with Donald Trump officials including Jeff Sessions, Michael Flynn and Jared Kushner.

In July 2016, Kislyak held a "diplomacy conference" at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, during which his interactions with Trump officials became the subject of denial and controversy.

"[6] On 29 December 2016, the same day that the United States announced new sanctions against Russia for interfering with the election, Kislyak and then-U.S. National Security Advisor designate Michael Flynn had multiple telephone conversations and exchanged text messages.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer stated in early January 2017 that the calls related to arranging a conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

[36] On 2 March, The New York Times later reported that Kislyak met with Flynn and Kushner in December 2016, which the White House said was to establish a diplomatic line of communication with the Trump administration.

The Washington Post said that Russian officials occasionally leak "false information into communication streams it suspects are monitored as a way of sowing misinformation and confusion among U.S. analysts," but that U.S. officials stated it was unclear what Kislyak would have gained by falsely reporting such an encounter at a time when the Kremlin was envisioning improved diplomatic relations under the incoming Trump administration.

He also said, twice, that a story in a February issue of The New York Times, headlined "Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence" and quoting unnamed officials, was gravely flawed.

The two other candidates were Mikhail Sezganov, chief federal inspector for Mordovia, and Pyotr Tultayev, mayor of Saransk, the republic's capital.