Putin and Talbott discuss the Russian Duma elections, Chechnya, Georgia, Iran's nuclear program, and START-2.

Deputy Secretary Talbott met with Media Most Vice Chairman Igor Malashenko December 8. Malashenko reviewed the domestic political situation. He said Yeltsin would remain in office until 2000 at all costs, and suggested that Luzhkov had the best shot at succeeding him. He was positive on Yavlinskiy's strength, and saw him as a possible kingmaker and prime minister in 2000. He viewed the changes in the Presidential Administration darkly, particularly given the military counterintelligence backgrounds of key figures there and in Primakov's entourage. He said that the fate of FSB Director Putin, a Chubays protege, would be a litmus test of intentions on safeguarding civil liberties. Malashenko admitted Media Most and NTV had been severely weakened by the crisis. To buy time for the 18-24 months he estimated it would take the economy to recover, Gusinskiy was negotiating to sell a further 25 percent of the company to Gazprom.

Clinton and Kohl discuss the political and economic situation in Russia, negotiations with Ukraine over dismantling its nuclear stockpile, and other international issues.

Clinton and Kohl discuss the Uruguay Round of the GATT, the political and economic situation in Russia, and the upcoming meeting between Alija Izetbegović of Bosnia and Clinton.

Clinton, Kohl, and others discuss Russia's political and economic situation, aid for Russia, German and American involvement in Iraq prior to the Gulf War, and other international issues.

President Clinton and President Kuchma discuss economic conditions inside Ukraine, Russia-Ukraine relations following Ukraine's signing of an agreement with NATO, and replacing reactors in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

President Clinton and President Kuchma discuss NATO-Ukraine relations, Russa-Ukraine relations, and domestic politics in Russia and Ukraine. Kuchma relays to Clinton that "I am deeply confident that Russia will never agree to an independent Ukraine in its mentality and thinking."

Clinton and Walesa discuss U.S.-Polish relations and steps their countries could take to coordinate policy vis-a-vis Russia. (Clinton's memcons with Iliescu and Zhelev were withheld during declassification in September 2019.)

A German official relays a summary of the talks between Helmut Kohl and Boris Yeltsin to Richard Holbrooke.

M. Mikolajczyk discusses the Polish memorandum regarding the reconstruction and internal affairs of post-war Poland, Stalin reprimands Mikolajczyk for the extralegal approval of this memorandum. Churchill defends the memorandum, Stalin criticizes it, and Mikolajczyk emphasizes Poland's sovereignty as well as the legitimacy of the underground government in occupied Poland. Contentious discussion on the issue of the Curzon Line between Stalin and Mikolajczyk--Churchill acts as a mediator.