Russian President Vladimir Putin has named deputy foreign minister Anatoly Antonov as the country’s new ambassador to the United States.

He will replace Sergei Kislyak, who served for as Moscow’s envoy to Washington for more than nine years.

U.S-Russian relations have fallen to their lowest point since the Cold War, with U.S. intelligence agencies concluding that Moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election, in an effort to help Donald Trump win. Russia has denied meddling in the election.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is conducting a criminal probe into whether the Trump campaign illegally colluded with Moscow.

Trump has been largely dismissive of numerous investigations underway in the U.S. about Russian meddling in the election, repeatedly calling the probes a “witch hunt.”

 
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