PRESIDENTS Clinton and Yeltsin emerged from the most intensive summit of recent times agreeing to disagree on NATO's eastward expansion.
Mr Clinton confirmed that NATO expansion would go ahead, a decision described by Mr Yeltsin as a grave mistake.
Mr Yeltsin made major concessions to the United States on the NATO issue but boosted his image at home by appearing as the leader of an equal superpower, with the US and getting Russia a seat at the table of the G7 group of industrialised nations. Russia had been lobbying for full membership of the group, comprising the US, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Up to yesterday Russia had demanded a treaty with NATO which would be "legally binding" while the United States offered an agreement which would be "politically binding".
Mr Yeltsin in his comments after the talks spoke of work towards a new charter which would be "binding", but Mr Clinton made it clear that the accord to be signed by the leaders of the 16 NATO countries, would be an "enduring commitment at the highest political level".
Any agreement between Russia and NATO will, however, take a great deal of time - especially as the proposed charter, when fully worked out, will have to be ratified by 16 countries.
Another plus for Russia has been the postponement of the destruction of nuclear missiles until 2007, which will take a lot of pressure off a Russian military in financial crisis.
But Russia's real success has been in the area of image rather than substance. Russian TV viewers will have seen their president look physically stronger than Mr Clinton, and that the Americans agree to Russia as a major power once more.
On the ground in Helsinki, too, the Russian media effort outshone its American rivals. In the past the media battle at summit meetings has always been won by the slick professionals from the US but in Helsinki the Russians notched their first victory. They set up their own media centre in Helsinki's restored docklands and bombarded the world's media with information. Russian businessmen, TV personalities and Kremlin officials were flown in to give briefings on subjects ranging from freedom of information to Russia's attitude to NATO.
There was no estimate as to how much the Russian media onslaught cost, but the local newspaper Iltalehti estimated that the Americans paid $400,000 (£256,000) to rent the Inter-Continental Hotel in its entirety for Mrs Clinton, his team and the US media.
