From a Wall Street Journal story by Ann M. Simmons headlined “America’s Top Diplomat in Russia Has One of the World’s Toughest Jobs”:

The moment when ambassadors present their credentials to their hosts is usually a staid affair. There could be a little chitchat. Some courtesies might be exchanged.

When the U.S. ambassador presented herself at the Kremlin in April, Russian President Vladimir Putin railed at Washington during the televised ceremony, accusing it of sparking the war in Ukraine. With Putin set off behind a podium at the other end of the Alexander Hall, there was no way for Lynne Tracy or the other new ambassadors to respond.