US-Russian relations have cooled as President Yeltsin reminded President Clinton that he still has "a full arsenal of nuclear weapons" and an alleged Russian spy was caught redhanded in Washington.
The chill between Washington and Moscow arises mainly from US concern over Russian threats to the civilian population of Grozny as the army tightens its hold on the rebellious territory of Chechnya. Mr Clinton has joined European leaders in making it clear that such threats are unacceptable.
Mr Yeltsin, who was on a visit to China, was stung by Mr Clinton's repeated remarks that Russia will pay "a heavy price" for its actions in Chechnya and alien ate the international community.
Yesterday, Mr Clinton responded to Mr Yeltsin's reference to the Russian nuclear arsenal by saying that he had an obligation to speak out on Chechnya because "I don't agree with what is going on there."
"I don't think what they're doing will help them to achieve their goal. Their legitimate goal is to defeat the Chechen rebels and to stop their terrorism within Russia, to stop their invasion of neighbouring provinces like Dagestan and I don't think displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians will achieve that goal," Mr Clinton said yesterday during a function at the White House.
Meanwhile, the FBI arrested a Russian diplomat on Wednesday night outside the State Department where he was said to be collecting information from a listening device planted inside the building. The diplomat, named as Mr Stanislav Borisovich Gusev, a second secretary, was later turned over to the Russian embassy after he pleaded diplomatic immunity.
He has been declared persona non grata and has 10 days to leave the country. The listening device was planted on the seventh floor of the State Department where the offices of the Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, and other senior officials are located, according to the Washington Post, citing US officials.
Some observers see the US action as retaliation for the arrest and ordered expulsion of a US diplomat in Moscow last week for alleged spying. Russian authorities said Ms Cheri Leberknight had been "caught red-handed trying to get from a Russian citizen documents on military and strategic information classified as state secrets".