61.   Even a few months ago, the Russian leader was still refusing to make a deal with the U.S.-led Western security alliance.

62.   Even among friends, the Russian leader has argued, the nuclear balance should not be left to the vagaries of handshakes.

63.   For eight months, Albright has been able to woo Russian leaders, cajole Chinese officials and charm conservatives on Capitol Hill.

64.   For Putin, the fact that Bush will extend his European tour and not just squeeze the Russian leader into his already existing schedule was important for Moscow.

65.   Foreign dignitaries included Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the nationalist Russian leader, who was heard praising the referendum and attacking the United States.

66.   Fully integrating Russia with the West will take years, and a great deal of skillful diplomacy by American, European and Russian leaders.

67.   Gore, who has touted his personal rapport with Chernomyrdin, pressed Russian leaders to modify the bill.

68.   From Mikhail Gorbachev to Boris Yeltsin, the United States has a history of pinning its hopes on Russian leaders even after their authority has begun to wane.

69.   He added that he believed that Russian military leaders have used that fact to blackmail Yeltsin into continuing a secret biological weapons program.

70.   Grigory A. Yavlinsky, a Russian parliamentary leader, for instance, described his keen disappointment in the way the Bush administration was treating Russia.