It was the 12th meeting between the two presidents and the first since Clinton's trip to Moscow last April, before they each won re-election. Posing for pictures with Yeltsin, Clinton was upbeat about their relationship over the years. The president slouched in a chair so his ailing right leg could extend stiffly in a brace. An aide hovered nearby with crutches. Clinton came to Helsinki with a package of arms control proposals aimed at soothing Russian fears that the West is seeking military advantage.
Russian critics say the treaty is a bad deal that was accepted out of weakness.
The pact sets a warhead limit of 3,500 on each side, down from pre-treaty levels of about 8,000. Russia then would have to build single-warhead missiles it cannot afford. The U.S. proposal would cut the warhead level by about an additional 1,000 warheads, reducing the limit to 2,000-2,500 for each side. Also, Yeltsin would be offered a delay of several years in the 2003 deadline for Russia to destroy silos in which banned missiles are deployed and for scrapping banned bombers and submarines. The two sides have been quietly negotiating on arms issues for several weeks.