In the midst of the war in Ukraine, the delicate appointment of a French ambassador to Russia

In the midst of a military conflict in Ukraine, the choice of a new French ambassador to Russia constitutes a particularly delicate exercise for Paris. According to information from MondeNicolas de Rivière, 61, currently representing France to the United Nations in New York, was discreetly appointed to this position during the council of ministers on November 6. Before being made official, his appointment still depends, as is diplomatic practice, on the approval of the Russian authorities, while relations between Paris and Moscow are frosty, although they have not been broken, almost 1,000 days after the outbreak of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Moscow post has been vacant since the summer and the departure of Pierre Lévy, just after his 69th birthday, after more than four years at the head of the embassy. He was appointed in January 2020, was quickly overtaken by the Covid-19 crisis then, in February 2022, by the “special military operation” launched by the Kremlin in Ukraine. Since the start of the conflict, Russia has been under Western sanctions, and contacts between Russian officials and their European and American counterparts have been reduced to the strict minimum.

For fear of difficulties with the Russian authorities, the French authorities extended Pierre Lévy’s stay in the Russian capital as much as possible, precisely so as not to have to seek approval from Moscow. In May 2022, Pierre Lévy was elevated by President Emmanuel Macron to the rank of Ambassador of France, an exceptional title for his services to the nation. In principle, he should have left Moscow that year. But the Quai d’Orsay kept him in post for two more years, a maximum duration which could no longer be extended again.

Since this summer, the embassy has been de facto headed by Zacharie Gross who, appointed minister-counsellor, arrived in Moscow in August and, in the absence of an ambassador, is the interim charge d’affaires. In addition to Ukraine, there was no shortage of hot issues. On August 24, Pavel Durov, the Russian founder and CEO of the messaging application Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget airport (Seine-Saint-Denis), a month and a half after the opening of a judicial investigation concerning twelve charges, most of which relate to organized crime. He was released under judicial supervision with a ban on leaving French territory.

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