Former Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin Appointed Russian Ambassador To Ukraine

Vladimir Putin appoints Viktor Chernomyrdin the Russian ambassador to Ukraine and the Russian president's special representative for the development of Russian-Ukrainian trade-economic ties, a spokesman for the Kremlin's press-service told RIA Novosti. The head of state stressed that the final decision on the appointment of ex-premier Chernomyrdin will be adopted only upon agreement with the State Duma - the lower house of parliament. He said that he had already discussed this issue with Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma.Putin called such a personnel solution a "political-diplomatic" one.