The Kremlin painted a rosy picture of President Yeltsin's health yesterday after his day-trip to Jordan for the funeral of King Hussein.
But observers remained sceptical, with newspapers and analysts interpreting Mr Yeltsin's activity as a sign of weakness and dread at being relegated to irrelevance by his Prime Minister, Mr Yevgeny Primakov.
Mr Yeltsin (68) made one of his increasingly rare appearances at the Kremlin yesterday, and a doctor reported that his health was "normal" following his brief visit to Amman.
One optimistic Kremlin aide even outlined an extensive world travel itinerary for Mr Yeltsin over the next 18 months including visits to France, Germany and possibly Africa and Latin America.
Mr Yeltsin's previous visit abroad, to central Asia in October, was marred by a stumbling performance that included re ports of incoherent behaviour. He almost lost his balance and fell over at one point.
His Jordan visit was also uneven. Mr Yeltsin appeared stiff and needed help from aides to move about.
Meanwhile, Russia's government called on the prosecutor's office yesterday for an inquiry into "insulting" comments made by the Communist leader, Mr Gennady Zyuganov, about President Yeltsin, news agencies reported.
Mr Zyuganov scoffed at the trip Mr Yeltsin made to Jordan, saying he had "gone to beg money from Clinton and Chirac.
"He has not even got enough money to pay his own personal bodyguard, let alone the miners," he said.
Seamus Martin adds: Russia's largest circulation daily, Moskovsky Komsomolets, commented on Mr Yeltsin's trip to Jordan: "President Yeltsin did not make it to the grave in Amman, but he came very close."