German security expert appointed as ambassador to Ukraine

Senior German diplomat Boris Ruge is set to become Berlin's new ambassador to Ukraine, dpa learned on Wednesday, as the government appoints a slew of new ambassadors worldwide. 

Ruge, an expert in foreign and security affairs, was put forward by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. Ruge, currently NATO’s assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy in Brussels.

In Kiev, Ruge succeeds Heiko Thoms, who is being dispatched to Madrid. 

Before his NATO role, Ruge was previously the deputy chairman of the Munich Security Conference, a US chargé d’affaires, and German ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Christian Buck is to succeed Ruge in the NATO role, moving on from his role as the Foreign Office's politics chief at the Middle East, Africa and Latin America department. He is to become deputy secretary general for operations in Brussels. In this senior role, Buck is to deploy his experience in crisis and conflict regions, gathered during roles as Middle East commissioner, ambassador to Tripoli and head of the ministry's Crisis Response Centre.

Numerous new ambassadors appointed

Berlin is appointing a slew of experienced diplomats, according to government sources, including in Abuja in Nigeria, Astana in Kazakhstan, Bangkok in Thailand, Beirut in Lebanon, Budapest in Hungary and Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Lawmakers agreed on further new appointments a few weeks ago, to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, The Hague in the Netherlands, Pretoria in South Africa, Rabat in Morocco. Further new appointees are being dispatched to Paris, at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and Vienna, at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe