Mr Yeltsin made this statement in his televised address soon after 12:00.
Mr Yeltsin and Mr Putin had met beforehand in the Kremlin.
Mr Yeltsin handed a decree on his resignation to Mr Putin in the presence of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, who was also invited by Mr Yeltsin in the morning.
See also
Statement by Boris Yeltsin
December 31, 1999