Firebrand 'gas princess' named Ukraine premier

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, visiting Moscow on a trip to mend relations after a bitter election campaign, appointed the Gas Princess as his prime minister today – a move likely to anger the Kremlin.

Yushchenko, who was inaugurated yesterday, 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 Yulia Tymoshenko, 44, who is widely disliked by the Kremlin. Moscow supported Yushchenko’s opponent in the presidential campaign, former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

The multi-millionaire firebrand Tymoshenko, dubbed the Gas Princess, was a key driving force behind a wave of opposition protests dubbed the Orange Revolution that paved the way for Yushchenko’s victory.

She made a fortune out of running a gas company and was jailed for a month in 2001 before corruption charges were dropped.

For Yushchenko, the Kremlin meeting was part of his delicate balancing act to move closer to the West while not upsetting relations with his powerful neighbour. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the meeting could help undo the damage of his unsuccessful foray into Ukrainian politics.

Yushchenko told Putin that “Russia is our eternal strategic partner. I will not conceal the fact that it was not an easy campaign,” Yushchenko said about the presidential poll.

While Yushchenko appeared reserved and at times nervous, Putin by contrast seemed to go out of his way to be friendly, smiling and warmly receiving the new Ukrainian leader.

“We are very happy that this difficult political period in Ukraine has passed, and that a government is in place … and we expect that our relations will continue to develop,” Putin said.

Russia views Ukraine as a key part of its historic sphere of influence, a major transit route for its oil and gas exports and a buffer between the expanding EU and Nato. Moscow is nervous about Yushchenko’s plans to quickly integrate the 48-million nation into Western structures.

On his inauguration day Sunday, Yushchenko reaffirmed his aim to shift Ukraine’s focus westward.

“Our place is in the European Union,” he said to a crowd estimated at more than 100,000 in Independence Square

After his trip to Moscow, Yushchenko is to embark on several days of visits to Western European countries including an appearance at the European Parliament to push his drive for closer ties. But the EU has made it clear that Ukraine is not yet in line to become a member.