NEW RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON.

Yuri Ushakov, Russia’s newly named ambassador to the United States, departed Moscow for Washington yesterday to take up his new post. Ushakov, who replaces veteran diplomat Yuli Vorontsov, is scheduled to present his credentials to President Bill Clinton on January 22. Ushakov is a fifty-one-year-old career diplomat who speaks English and Danish. His previous posts have been oriented primarily toward Europe; and he most recently served as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister with responsibility for issues related to the United Nations (AP, Russian agencies, January 19).

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement released in connection with Ushakov’s latest appointment applauded Russian-U.S. cooperation in recent years and underscored Moscow’s hope for continued friendly relations with Washington. However, the statement also noted a more recent upsurge in tensions between the two countries. It suggested that Moscow was particularly alarmed over Washington’s penchant for employing military force internationally without the authorization of the UN Security Council–an obvious reference to U.S. policy toward Iraq and Yugoslavia. The statement also criticized recent U.S. sanctions against Russia, and complained more generally that Washington often acted on the basis of “double standards” (Russian agencies, January 19).

RUSSIA SEEKS TO REVIVE COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY.