Baltic Events Upset U.S.-Soviet Summit Plan

The White House said today the Moscow summit is “up in the air” as it weighs whether to impose economic sanctions on the Soviet Union for its brutal military crackdown in the Baltics.

White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said Kremlin officials had assured the American ambassador in Moscow that President Mikhail S. Gorbachev still wants a peaceful resolution of the turmoil in Lithuania.

“Clearly the trip to Moscow is up in the air. I think there’s a general skepticism that we would go,” Fitzwater said at a news briefing.

The White House said last week that the Persian Gulf crisis and lingering arms control problems also could delay the summit.

President Bush on Sunday condemned the Red Army moves in Vilnius that killed 14 people. But he declined to say whether he would go to Moscow as scheduled for a Feb. 11-13 arms summit if the crackdown continued.

Bush said if the Soviets kept resorting to force to try to rein in the Baltics, it could jeopardize the new U.S.-Soviet partnership.

Fitzwater said the Soviets have already tapped $800 million of the $1 billion in emergency food credits the United States extended to them last month.

He said the new U.S.-Soviet economic ties are at stake. Asked if a grain embargo was possible, Fitzwater would say only: “This situation is under review. We’ve made no decision.”

“I don’t want to unduly alarm anyone,” Fitzwater added.