Fresh from post-election talks with President Boris Yeltsin, the Clinton administration is suggesting a major reassessment of Western aid to Russia before next month's Moscow summit.
Vice President Al Gore's three days in Moscow left the administration convinced that Yeltsin's political turmoil would ease only when Russia begins to shake its economic doldrums.Gore, as he left Moscow for a day in St. Petersburg, said every country with a spot on the International Monetary Fund and World Bank boards deserves some blame for Russia's troubles because of inflexibility in granting Yeltsin economic assistance.
En route to St. Petersburg, a senior administration official said the success of nationalists and communists in Russia's parliamentary elections had convinced the administration more needed to be done quickly to give Yeltsin evidence his economic reforms will bring results.
The official acknowledged that several U.S. allies that had made rhetorical commitments to help Russia have not backed up their words with money because they believe it will be wasted by a bloated and inefficient government.
But this official, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested the economic anger that contributed to ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky's success in the parliament elections would not dissipate until reforms showed tangible results.