Sri Lanka is now facing diplomatic heat after what critics describe as a dramatic shift in foreign policy, one that has already prompted Russia to suspend direct flights to the island nation. The fallout is bruising for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, as Russian tourists have long been known as big spenders in local resorts and coastal towns.
At the center of the storm is growing speculation that U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung has played a key role in reshaping the ideological bearings of the National People’s Power (NPP) government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Traditionally, Sri Lanka’s left-leaning governments including those led by Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena, maintained warm ties with Moscow. But things have cooled sharply in recent months, particularly given the historic alignment between the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which anchors the NPP, and Russia.
Critics point to a pivotal meeting held before the local government elections, where Ambassador Chung reportedly briefed President Anura Kumara on an opinion poll suggesting he held a 56% approval rating. While the poll was presented as encouraging, the actual election results told a different story fueling suspicions that diplomatic encouragement may have come with ideological strings attached.
Fast forward to the JVP’s 60th anniversary celebrations, where the President declared that anyone unwilling to honor the party’s past should leave the government. Many interpreted this as an attempt to reassure the party’s base, following growing whispers that the new administration was distancing itself from the JVP’s Marxist roots.
Despite these remarks, diplomatic insiders claim the shift is real. Ambassador Chung, they say, has played a key behind-the-scenes role in nudging the government toward a pro-Western stance, gradually eroding its traditional loyalties to Russia and China.
Further evidence of this realignment came after President Anura Kumara scrapped a high-profile airport deal. The previous Wickremesinghe administration had approved a lease of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota to a Russian-Indian consortium. But after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the venture, all eyes turned to the newly elected President to see whether he would uphold the agreement.
Though he had initially accepted a personal invitation to attend the BRICS summit in Russia, President Anura ultimately skipped the event and soon after terminated the lease.
Whether this marks a calculated strategic pivot or a politically induced realignment, the consequences are unfolding rapidly. With Moscow cutting off direct air links and diplomatic friction on the rise, Sri Lanka’s sudden distancing from Russia is proving to be more than symbolic it’s becoming economically costly. And all signs suggest that Washington’s fingerprints are all over it.
