The Trump administration is selecting a former U.S. envoy to NATO for the top job dealing with the Ukraine crisis.

The State Department says Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is appointing Ambassador Kurt Volker as the special representative for Ukraine. Tillerson spokesman R.C. Hammond says he’ll coordinate the State Department’s efforts to address “the conflict created when Russia invaded Crimea and later eastern Ukraine.”

The selection comes amid scant progress in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday.

Volker is a career diplomat and Europe specialist who also worked in the White House. He’s executive director of Arizona State University’s McCain Institute for International Leadership.

The announcement comes as Tillerson and Trump are meeting with European leaders in Germany.
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