Eurasia

MOSCOW – The first big test of whether Russia’s president-elect, Dmitry Medvedev, is really in charge will come when he tries to appoint his own allies into key Kremlin jobs occupied by Vladimir Putin’s loyalists.

ST PETERSBURG, Russia – A Russian opposition activist jailed for two months for taking part in anti-Kremlin protests has gone on a hunger strike, his liberal Yabloko party said on Wednesday.

KIEV – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko pledged on Wednesday that Ukraine would stand by its obligations to export Russian gas to Europe and remain a “reliable partner”.

Russia’s relations with countries through which it ships gas, power and coal to Europe have been characterized by frequent disputes.

Following is initial reaction from U.S. officials and presidential candidates to the election on Sunday of Dmitry Medvedev as Russia’s next president. Medvedev vows to continue the policies of Vladimir Putin.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Dmitry Medvedev has won 70.23 percent of the vote in Russia’s presidential election with 99.45 percent of the ballots counted, giving him an easy first round victory, preliminary results showed on Monday.

MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) – Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research) reduced supplies to Ukraine by a quarter on Monday, just hours after its chairman and Kremlin candidate Dmitry Medvedev won Russia’s presidential election.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – An Internet bookmaker has stopped taking bets on Russia’s presidential election because the outcome is so predictable.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Imagine a crisis breaking out somewhere in the world, and President George W. Bush suddenly has to get the Kremlin on the hotline. After Sunday’s presidential election in Russia, who’s he going to call?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday dismissed the notion that Russia’s likely new president would be Vladimir Putin’s puppet but said he did not know how much power Dmitry Medvedev would wield with his predecessor still in the picture.