MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. The endorsement of Alexey Goncharuk as Ukraine’s Prime Minister and Vadim Pristaiko as the country’s new Foreign Minister will not result in any radical transformations in Kiev’s relations with Moscow, Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries, told TASS on Friday.

According to the expert, Pristaiko’s biography gives one the impression that Ukraine’s stance on dialogue with Russia will not change substantially. "Pristaiko’s appointment is actually a significant step for assessing the prospects of the new Ukrainian leadership’s position on foreign policy issues. Pristaiko was deputy Ukrainian ambassador to the US and later served as Kiev’s Ambassador to Canada, which tells us a lot about his stance and outlook on life. That’s why there won’t be any radical transformations in Ukraine’s stance, at least regarding relations with Russia and cooperation with the European Union, NATO and the United States," he said.

In the pundit's view, the first statements made by the newly appointed top diplomat indicate that profound shifts in Kiev’s foreign policy are not on the horizon.

Zharikhin stressed that Ukraine’s economic policy under the new prime minister will basically remain unchanged. "[There will be no drastic changes] with respect to Russia either. Goncharuk is one of those who shaped this policy towards Russia including measures related to imposing sanctions, terminating and severing cooperation ties," the expert concluded.

The new composition of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) assembled for a plenary meeting on Thursday. During the first session, the lawmakers appointed the country’s new prime minister and approved the new Cabinet.