President Yeltsin: I ask you one thing. Just give Europe to Russia. The U.S. is
not in Europe. Europe should be the business of Europeans.
Russia is half European and half Asian.
The President: So you want Asia too?
President Yeltsin: Sure, sure. Bill. Eventually, we will have
to agree on all of this.
The President: I don't think the Europeans would like this very
much.
President Yeltsin: Not all. But I am a European. I live in.
Moscow. Moscow is in Europe and I like it. You can take all
the other states and provide security to them. I will take
Europe and provide them security. Well, not I. Russia will.
We will end this conflict in Chechnya. I didn't say all the
things I was thinking (in his speech). I listened to you
carefully. I took a break just beforehand. Then I listened to
you from beginning to end. I can even repeat what you said.
Bill, I'm serious. Give Europe to Europe itself. Europe never
felt as close to Russia as it does now. We have no difference
of opinion with Europe, except maybe on Afganistan and Pakistan
-- which, by the way, is training Chechens. These are bandits,
headhunters and killers. They're raping American women.
They're cutting off ears and other parts of their hostages.
We're fighting these types of terrorists. Let's not accuse
Russia that we are too rough with these kinds of people. There
are only two options: kill them or put them on trial. There's
no third option, but we can put them on trial, and sentence them
to 20-25 years.
***
The President: Who will win the election?
President Yeltsin: Putin, of course. He will be the successor
to Boris Yeltsin. He's a democrat, and he knows the West.
The President: He's very smart
President Yeltsin: He's tough. He has an internal ramrod.
He's tough internally, and I will do everything possible for him
to win—legally, of course. And he will win. You'll do
business together. He will continue the Yeltsin line on
democracy and economics and widen Russia's contacts. He has the
energy and the brains to succeed. Thank you. Bill.
https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/57569