Putin Adds to Ambassadorial Weight Category in Kyiv

On May 10 Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed former Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin Ambassador to Ukraine. Mr. Chernomyrdin is still a rather brilliant star in the post-Soviet Russian political firmament, and his appointment includes the status of the Russian President’s special representative in charge of Russian-Ukrainian trade and economic contacts, reports Interfax. President Putin described his decision as both “political and diplomatic,” which is evidence of how seriously Russia treats its relationship with Ukraine. As for Chernomyrdin, Mr. Putin said, “We aren’t likely to find a person better acquainted with the relationship between the two countries.” He added that the appointment will become effective after “coordinating” the matter with the Duma, and that he has discussed it with Leonid Kuchma.

Viktor Chernomyrdin’s appointment looks more political, since the man is remembered mostly as an unconventional and aphoristic head of the Russian government. He had a hand in the development of loose-tie Ukrainian-Russian diplomacy and was the first to say, “What’s good for Gazprom is good for Russia” (Sound familiar, old “L’il Abner” aficionados? — Ed. ). Being on friendly terms with some at the upper Ukrainian echelons did not prevent him from maintaining a more than rigid course when signing the Black Sea Navy accords in May 1997 and when negotiating Ukraine’s gas debts to Russia. Simultaneously, Chernomyrdin has always been considered a political heavyweight knowing the true worth of quite a number of things, including Ukraine. This is especially important, considering that he is heavily involved with Russia’s main export item to Ukraine, natural gas. In any case, Chernomyrdin is not likely to be as closed to the press as his predecessor in Ukraine.

Political scientist Oleksandr DERHACHOV regards Chernomyrdin’s appointment as a “phenomenon in the history of diplomacy,” because it is really difficult to picture “a top-level business manager holding this post,” where one has to think twice before saying one word. Simultaneously, this appointment by no means indicates any lowering of the status of Russian representation, and there are no grounds whatsoever for suspecting Moscow of trying to get rid of Chernomyrdin in this manner. While Reforms & Order leader Viktor PYNZENYK suggested on May 10 that Chernomyrdin’s appointment is “sooner than not a political exile,” reports Interfax Ukraine. Hearing a national democratic politician define his country as a place of political exile is strange, mildly speaking. Derhachov believes that the new Russian ambassador will be hard to deal with and that bilateral contacts will cease to be on an off-the- record, loose-tie basis.

Also, the number of persons the Russian ambassador will maintain contact with is likely to increase. Some will, of course, want to use these informal contacts and Chernomyrdin’s tremendous influence on Gazprom to their own ends. The newly appointed ambassador is really a very important person in view of Ukraine’s gas debts remaining a problem to be solved and the priorities in Ukrainian-Russian cooperation. But he is not likely to strictly adhere to diplomatic protocol in his new position.

Political scientist Serhiy MARKOV is convinced that Viktor Chernomyrdin will not meddle in Ukrainian domestic policy, although he will try to develop a single Ukrainian-Russian economic mechanism. Another positive aspect, he adds, is that Chernomyrdin and Kuchma are not only old friends, but also have similar mentalities and speak the same language. In fact, the analyst believes this to be the main point, because Russia regards Ukraine exclusively within the context of its relations with Europe. Chernomyrdin’s appointment serves to stress the meaning attached to this relationship, the more so that no other Russian ambassador carries as much political weight as he does. This is a major improvement over the sharp decline in the Ukrainian- Russian relationship over the past several years.

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NSDC Secretary Yevhen MARCHUK, when asked by The Day to comment on the new Russian ambassador, said, “Mr. Chernomyrdin has known Ukraine for a long time. He is well acquainted with the situation and is on a first-name basis with a number of our politicians and top managers. He is very good at protecting Russia’s interests, meaning that some Cabinet members will have a hard time. He is a very tough but predictable negotiator; one can know in advance which aspects will be hard to deal with. In the context of his current appointment, Mr. Chernomyrdin could be described as Russian diplomacy’s heavy artillery. Suffice it to recall that he participated in the settlement of a number of painful issues in our bilateral relations. I have had a number of rounds of difficult talks with him, and I haven’t felt any bias toward Ukraine. He was hard but very interesting to deal with. Perhaps his appointment as Russian ambassador will give rise to shrill allegations in Ukraine and especially in the West, concerning the future of the Ukrainian-Russian relationship. I think that there are no grounds for alarm; there is now a chance to use Viktor Chernomyrdin’s experience and pragmatism to substantially improve Ukrainian-Russian cooperation, especially in the economic sphere.”