MOSCOW : A Week for Diplomacy

Fresh from a punishing face-off with the Russian Parliament, President Boris Yeltsin hopes for an easier time of it when he shifts to foreign relations this week.

He’ll be meeting today and tomorrow with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who is on his first-ever visit to an independent Russia. The only problem: His visit comes at a time when Germany’s ability to help--both in its traditional role as the West’s biggest aid donor to the former Soviet states and as a cheerleader to promote Russia’s needs among other industrialized nations--is sharply reduced.

On Thursday, Yeltsin is scheduled to leave for China, reportedly with defense officials who will discuss cooperation on military technology.