The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has appointed career diplomat Vasyl Bodnar as deputy head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, State Secretary at the Foreign Ministry Andriy Zayats has said.

"The Cabinet of Ministers has appointed Vasyl Bodnar as Ukraine's deputy foreign minister under resolution No. 838. We sincerely rejoice for our colleague and congratulate him on his appointment! [We wish him] energy and perseverance in the struggle for Ukraine's interests!" Zayats wrote on Twitter on Saturday, November 25.

Bodnar graduated from the Faculty of International Relations, as well as the Law Faculty of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. In 1999, he completed a training course on European integration at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations.

In 2000-2004, he worked as third and second secretary at the Ukrainian Embassy in Russia. In 2004-2006, he fulfilled the duties of head of the department for Turkey and South Caucasus at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

In 2006-2010, he worked as first secretary and adviser at the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland.

In 2013-2015, he was minister counsellor at the Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey, and in May 2015, he was appointed Ukraine's consul general in Istanbul.

In March 2016, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appointed Bodnar as Ukraine's representative to the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.