Russia questioned the suitability of the woman nominated by President Joe Biden to be the next U.S. ambassador to Moscow, suggesting Lynne Tracy might feel more at home in a hardline think-tank. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said remarks by Tracy in the media and to a U.S. Senate Committee showed that she saw tighter sanctions against Moscow as the way forward in bilateral relations. She said Tracy had also noted the need for contacts with the opposition and civil society. “Does she definitely want to come to us?” Zakharova asked. The ambassador needed to demonstrate readiness to work constructively in order to avoid “irreparable damage in relations with our country”, she said. (https://neuters.de/world/russia-questions-suitability-bidens-nominated-ambassador-moscow-2022-12-15/) Russia must agree to accept Tracy, who has been ambassador to Armenia since 2019, in order for her to take up her post.