Chernomyrdin Named Ambassador to Ukraine
From Times Wire Reports
President Vladimir V. Putin named ex-Prime Minister Viktor S. Chernomyrdin as ambassador to Ukraine in a surprise move signaling an upgrading of ties with a key ex-Soviet republic.
Chernomyrdin headed Russia’s natural gas monopoly Gazprom before serving as President Boris N. Yeltsin’s premier from 1992 to 1998.
His appointment may reflect Moscow’s determination to recoup Ukraine’s natural gas debts, estimated at $1.4 billion to $2 billion.
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