sentence1: In appointing the bland, seemingly slow-paced Chernomyrdin as his envoy, Boris Yeltsin is probably hoping that Chernomyrdin will somehow pull off a settlement without really seeming to or without raising too many hackles, and that his ultimate success will be Primakov's loss.
sentence2: Chernomyrdin had previously held public office before being appointed as Yeltsin's envoy.