According to a resignation letter, which the envoy sent to US President Donald Trump, Huntsman will step down on October 3. The diplomat called to continue holding Russia accountable "when its behaviour threatens" the US and its allies but noted that Moscow and Washington have "common interests" which cannot be ignored.
In particular, Huntsman stressed the need to "maintain channels for dialogue on issues of national interest" such as combatting terrorism and ensuring verifiable arms control.
Huntsman was appointed the US envoy to Russia in October 2017. The diplomat earlier was the US Ambassador to Singapore in 1992-1993, the Governor of Utah in 2005-2009 and the US envoy to China in 2009-2011.