Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s sharp-tongued ambassador to the UN, dies

MOSCOW – Russia’s longtime ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, died in New York on Monday, following a career that spanned four decades and saw Russia emerge from the Soviet Union and experience many turbulent events in its relations with the West.

Churkin, who “died suddenly,” a day before his 65th birthday, was a “great diplomat, an extraordinary person,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a post on Facebook. “We have lost a loved one.”

Churkin served as Russia’s ambassador to the U.N. for more than a decade, marked by clashes with the West over the conflicts in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria, as well as an ephemeral reset in U.S.-Russian relations that would disastrously unravel over regime change in Russian ally Libya.

Churkin died while performing his duties, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We express our deepest condolences to Vitaly Churkin’s family and friends.” Churkin is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Churkin’s first deputy at the UN, Pyotr Ilichev, said, “Ambassador Churkin remained at his workplace till the very last moment,” according to comments carried by state news agency TASS.

“He dedicated his whole life to defending the interests of Russia, located at the foremost frontiers and the most stressful posts,” Ilichev said.

Churkin, whose career spanned four decades, previously served as Russia’s ambassador to Canada and Belgium, where he also represented Russia at the NATO military alliance’s headquarters. He took the UN post in 2006.

Churkin was known for his sharp tongue and sarcastic humor at the United Nations, where he often sparred with his former U.S. counterpart, Samantha Power, over Russia’s involvement in the Syrian civil war and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

In December, as the U.N. Security Council held a heated discussion on Syria, Power lashed out at Russia, accusing Moscow of engaging in acts of “barbarism” and creating “carnage” in the country.

Churkin shot back, saying she delivered her remarks “as if she was Mother Teresa.”

“Please remember what country you’re representing – remember your own country’s track record – and then you can start opining from the position of moral supremacy,” Churkin said.

In 2014, after Power met with members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, famous for denouncing President Vladimir Putin in a protest in a prominent Moscow cathedral, Churkin told reporters that perhaps the U.S. ambassador should join the band.

“I would expect her to invite them to perform at the National Cathedral in Washington,” he said in comments carried by Russian broadcaster RT. “Maybe they could arrange a world tour.”

“St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, then maybe in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, ending up with a gala concert at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. If Ambassador Power fell short, I would be disappointed,” Churkin quipped.

Power wrote on Twitter on Monday that she was “devastated” by Churkin’s death. She described him as a “deeply caring man” and “diplomatic maestro” who tried to bridge differences between the U.S. and Russia.

Putin grieved at the news of Churkin’s death, his spokesman said. “The head of state highly valued Churkin’s professionalism and diplomatic talent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in comments carried by TASS.

The U.S. and British ambassadors to the U.N. expressed a similar sentiment. “We did not always see things the same way, but he unquestionably advocated his country’s positions with great skill,” said U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who took up the post last month.

Churkin was a “friend and colleague,” a “diplomatic giant and wonderful character,” Britain’s Matthew Rycroft wrote on Twitter.