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Yuschenko Selects Anti-Kremlin Ukraine PM
Moscow | January 24
AP [1] - Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko, visiting Moscow on a trip to mend relations after a bitter election campaign, appointed top ally Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister Monday a move likely to anger the Kremlin. Yushchenko, who was inaugurated Sunday, initially said he would need more consultations before nominating a prime minister. His hesitation seemed to be aimed at avoiding a provocative decision just before his Moscow trip his first foreign visit as president. But after arriving in the Russian capital, Yushchenko's office said he had nominated Tymoshenko.
Reuters [2] - Ukraine President Plunges Into Talks with Putin
- As the Kremlin talks got under way, Yulia Timoshenko, who was a driving force behind protests that led to opposition victory at Ukraine's polls, was named prime minister today.
AFP [3] - Ukraine leader reassures Russia, but evokes different bond
- Timoshenko, 44, is regarded even by her opponents as a gifted politician. But while she is revered in the nationalist, Ukrainian-speaking west of the country where Yushchenko's support is strongest, she is equally reviled in the Russian-speaking east. She is also regarded as a fugitive from justice by Russia where she is wanted in connection with a criminal bribery investigation dating back to the 1990s. Her appointment as prime minister, still subject to approval by the Ukrainain parliament, was certain to rile some Russian officials.