An Evening with Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan

For weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, John J. Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador in Moscow, was warning that it would happen. When troops finally crossed the border, he was woken in the middle of the night with a prearranged code. Sullivan needed to collect his bodyguards and get to the embassy immediately. The war had begun. In his new memoir Midnight in Moscow, Sullivan leads readers into the offices of the U.S. embassy and the halls of the Kremlin during this climactic period—among the most dangerous since World War II.

Join us for a compelling conversation with John Sullivan, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, as he shares insights from his tenure during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S.-Russia relations. With decades of experience in diplomacy and public service, Ambassador Sullivan will discuss key moments from his time in Moscow, the challenges of international diplomacy, and the future of global relations.  

Before his most recent post in Moscow, Ambassador Sullivan served as the 19th U.S. Deputy Secretary of State from 2017 to 2019, as well as the Acting U.S. Secretary of State in March-April 2018. In the Obama Administration, he was chairman of the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue, a government advisory committee on U.S.-Iraq commercial relations.  In the private sector, as a partner in the global law firm MayerBrown LLP, Ambassador Sullivan was a sought-after advisor to CEOs, general counsels, and senior executives.