WASHINGTON, May 14 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. President George Bush has nominated a new U.S. ambassador to Russia, career diplomat John Beyrle, the White House press service said.

Beyrle, whose nomination requires U.S. senate approval, is currently U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria, and prior to his stint in Sofia he served as deputy mission chief in Moscow.

He also worked in Prague as an advisor for political and economic affairs earlier in his career, the White House said.

Beyrle graduated with a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University and studied for his masters at the National War College.

A Russian expert has suggested that Beyrle's is not a political appointment.

"He is a career diplomat, not a political choice. This means that no far-reaching political goals will be set for him," said Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy director of the Institute of North American Studies.

He added that Beyrle's mission will be to "maintain relations at a certain level and in a certain form until [new] presidential elections."

John Beyrle's father, a former U.S. paratrooper, Joseph R. "Jumpin' Joe" Beyrle, who died in 2004, is believed to be the only American soldier to have served in both the United States Army and fought alongside Soviet troops during World War II after escaping from a German POW camp in 1945.