41.   But Russian leaders gave mixed signals as to whether they would try to take Grozny by storm.

42.   But since he first met Putin early in the summer in Slovenia, he had nurtured relations with the Russian leader.

43.   But the Russian leader could afford to be gracious.

44.   But the Russian leader continues to face many challenges, including a crumbling banking sector, anemic budget revenues and huge wage arrears.

45.   But the search for the hidden library has obsessed Russian leaders from Peter the Great to Stalin, and would-be conquerors from Napoleon to Hitler.

46.   But while Dole praised the Russian leader for helping dislodge Communism from the former Soviet Union, he assailed him for such actions as the assault on Chechnya.

47.   But while the now-retired Russian leader allowed power to corrupt him, Pamfilova remained loyal to her ideals.

48.   But, the Russian party leaders abandoned Barak when he went to Camp David, saying he was offering too much to the Palestinians.

49.   But when it comes to Russian leaders, however promising, a grain of caution is never amiss.

50.   Clinton is to spend Tuesday meeting with Yeltsin, speaking to students and parents about the next generation of Russians and attending a state dinner with the Russian leader.