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List of ambassadors of Russia to France facts for kids

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Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the French Republic
MID emblem.png
Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry
Alexey Meshkov, 2016.jpg
Incumbent
Aleksey Meshkov [ru]
since 23 October 2017
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Embassy of Russia in Paris
Style His Excellency
The Honourable
Reports to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Seat Paris
Appointer President of Russia
Term length At the pleasure of the President
Website Embassy of Russia in France

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the French Republic is the main representative of Russia in France. This person speaks for the Russian President and the Russian government to the French President and the French government.

The ambassador and their team work at the Russian Embassy in Paris, France. Russia also has smaller offices called consulates in other French cities like Strasbourg and Marseille. The current Russian Ambassador to France is Aleksey Meshkov [ru]. He has held this important job since October 23, 2017. The ambassador to France also represents Russia in Monaco.

History of Diplomatic Ties

Russia and France have a long history of working together. Their official relationship began on August 9, 1717. On that day, Hans Christoph Shleynits became the first Russian ambassador to France. He was sent by Tsar Peter I of Russia to meet King Louis XV of France.

France sent its first ambassador to Russia, Jacques de Campredon, in September 1721. Since then, the two countries have often been close friends. In the 18th and 19th centuries, French was even like a second language in Russia!

However, their relationship has also faced challenges. They stopped talking officially many times, usually because of wars. For example, diplomatic ties broke during the War of the Polish Succession in 1733. They were restored in 1738.

Later, the Napoleonic Wars caused more problems. Relations were cut off again in 1792 and 1805. Each time, they were restored after peace treaties were signed, like the Treaty of Paris in 1815.

The Crimean War (1854-1856) also caused a break in relations. But after Russia's defeat, ties improved. They stayed strong until the October Revolution in Russia in 1917.

After the revolution, France recognized the new Soviet Union in 1924. This brought back official relations. However, when Germany declared war on the Soviet Union in 1941, France again broke off ties. They were restored in 1944. Even during the Cold War, when tensions were high, Russia and France kept their diplomatic connection.

When the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, France quickly recognized the new Russian Federation. This showed that the two countries wanted to continue their long history of diplomatic relations.

Notable Russian Representatives

Over the centuries, many important people have served as Russia's representative in France. These ambassadors and envoys worked to keep peace and build strong connections between the two nations.

The very first Russian ambassador to France was Hans Christoph Shleynits, appointed in 1717 by Peter the Great. Another early ambassador was Vasily Dolgorukov, who served in the early 1720s.

During the time of the Russian Empire, many well-known figures held the post. These included Antiokh Kantemir, a famous poet, and Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin. Later, Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo served for a long time in the early 1800s.

In the 20th century, after the Soviet Union was formed, Leonid Krasin became the first Soviet representative to France in 1924. Other notable Soviet ambassadors included Valerian Zorin and Peter Abrassimov.

After the Soviet Union ended in 1991, Yuri Ryzhov became the first ambassador for the new Russian Federation. The current ambassador, Aleksey Meshkov [ru], started his role in 2017.

Images for kids

  • Dolgorukov Vasiliy Lukich (painted portrait)

    Vasily Dolgorukov

  • Alexandr Borisovich Kurakin (1697-1749) by Georg Christoph Grooth

    Alexander Kurakin

  • Boris Ivanovich Kurakin by Peter Gunst

    Boris Kurakin

  • Poet Prince Antiokh Kantemir

    Antiokh Kantemir

  • Heinrich Gross by anonymous (18 c., Odessa museum)

    Aleksey Gross

  • M P Bestuzhev-Ryumin

    Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin

  • RusPortraits v2-134 Le comte Pierre Grigoriewitch Tchernycheff

    Piotr Chernyshev

  • S.V. Saltykov

    Sergei Saltykov

  • D.A. Golitsyn by M. Collot 02

    Dmitri Golitsyn

  • Baryatinsky Ivan Sergeevich

    Ivan Baryatinskiy

  • Graf Sprengtporten

    Georg Magnus Sprengtporten

  • Stepan Alexeevich Kolychev

    Stepan Kolychyov

  • Le Comte Arcade Ivanowitch Morkoff

    Arkady Morkov

  • Pierre Yakovlewitch Oubril

    Pyotr Ubri

  • Pyotr Aleksandrovich Tolstoy

    Pyotr Tolstoy

  • Rumyan

    Nikolay Rumyantsev

  • Gagarin G.I

    Grigory Gagarin

  • Borovikovsky portrait of Kurakine A 1802

    Alexander Kurakin

  • Pozzo di Borgo

    Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo

  • Pavel Ivanovich Medem

    Pavel Medem

  • Peter Graf von der Pahlen

    Pyotr Palen

  • Nikolay Kiseloyv

    Nikolai Kiselyov

  • ND Kiselev

    Nikolai Kiselyov

  • Бруннов Филипп Иванович, 1870

    Philipp von Brunnow

  • Kiseleff

    Pavel Kiselyov

  • Budberg-af

    Andrey Budberg

  • Ernest Gustavovich Shtakelberg

    Ernest Stackelberg

  • Philipp Graf von Brunnow, Vanity Fair, 1870-12-03

    Philipp von Brunnow

  • Nikolay Alekseyevich Orlov

    Nikolay Orlov

  • Моренгейм Артур Павлович

    Arthur von Mohrenheim

  • Lev Pavlovich Urusov

    Lev Urusov

  • Nelidov Alexandr (1835-1910)

    Aleksandr Nelidov

  • Извольский Александр Петрович, 1894

    Alexander Izvolsky

  • Vasily Maklakov 1917

    Vasily Maklakov

  • Krasin

    Leonid Krasin

  • Rakovsky01

    Christian Rakovsky

  • Dovgalevsky Valerian

    Valerian Dovgalevsky

  • Marcel Rosenberg

    Marcel Rosenberg

  • Член ВС ГСВГ Губин И.А. с супругой Посол СССР в ГДР Абрасимов П.А., Зайцева М.И. и Главком Зайцев М.М.. Берлин 1983 cropped to highlight PA

    Peter Abrassimov

  • Nikolay Afanasevsky

    Nikolay Afanasevsky

  • Авдеев Александр Алексеевич

    Aleksandr Avdeyev

  • AlexanderOrlov

    Alexander Orlov

  • Alexey Meshkov, 2016

    Aleksey Meshkov

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