Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday...

"I hope when the outcome [of the Ukrainian election] is summed up, Ukraine will have an effective authority keen to develop constructive, friendly and comprehensive relations with the Russian Federation," he said.

Ukraine will hold a runoff vote on February 7 between the winners of the first round held on Sunday - opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Both of them have indicated a desire to better relations with Moscow, soured in recent years over Kiev"s NATO bid, gas disputes, and a host of other issues.

Yanukovych and Tymoshenko received 35.34% and 25.04% in the first round. Incumbent Viktor Yushchenko gained slightly over 5% of the vote and did not make it into the second round.

The decree to appoint Mikhail Zurabov - a former Russian health and social development minister - ambassador to Kiev was signed on August 5, 2009. But on August 11, Medvedev sent an open letter to Yushchenko, saying the dispatch of the new ambassador

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