Andrei Vladimirovich Kozyrev (born 1951) became the Russian minister of foreign affairs a year before Russia became independent. He later became one of the more liberal, pro-Western figures in Boris Yeltsin's cabinet. He was forced to resign in January 1996 as pressures mounted from hard-line nationalists.

Andrei Kozyrev became Russian foreign minister in 1990 when it was by no means obvious that it was advantageous for him to accept the appointment. He had just been promoted to head of the department of the Soviet Foreign Ministry where he had spent all of his career. His position was secure and his prospects for further advancement were good. Russia was still a part of the Soviet Union; it would not become an independent state until December 1991.

Soft-spoken and sophisticated, with a command of English, French, and Spanish, Kozyrev was consistently among the more liberal members of the Russian government. He was often a...