Biden keeps Trump's pick Sullivan as U.S. ambassador to Russia

The Biden administration says the president will keep Trump appointee John Sullivan as U.S. ambassador to Russia.

Sullivan was appointed by President Trump in 2019.

"The professionalism that John Sullivan has brought to the job is valued at a time of important political transition in the U.S. and U.S.-Russia reactions," said John Tefft, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, according to CNN. "These transitions can often take a long time which works to our detriment in terms of having a consistent foreign policy."

Tefft said suggested Biden chose to keep Sullivan more specifically was experience with the diplomatic corps related to Russia affairs.

Biden's choice to keep Sullivan comes at a tense international moment as Russian troops have been seen at the border with neighboring Ukraine, with some worrying about a war over disputed land such Crimea and other eastern regions of Ukraine.