CLINTON TOTING SUPPORT, NOT CASH TO RUSSIA.

Byline: Jodi Enda Knight Ridder Newspapers

President Clinton will travel to a Russia in crisis this week with little to offer except advice and solace that the United States will stand by its former adversary in its hour of need, top administration officials said Friday.

As Russian President Boris Yeltsin swatted back rumors that he would resign, Clinton declared his intention to forge ahead with a summit that his own aides say can't possibly accomplish its stated goals.

Still, Clinton insisted he should go to Moscow as planned Tuesday and tell the Russians ``that if they'll be strong and do the disciplined, hard things they have to do to reform their country, their economy, and get through this dark night, that we'll stick with them.''

But the signs from Russia were not promising. Just hours before Clinton spoke from his vacation on Martha's Vineyard, Yeltsin fired two more reformers who had helped shape the economic changes intended to move Russia's market further toward capitalism.

The fast-changing landscape meant that three days before Clinton was scheduled to leave, his aides were scrambling to determine just who would be available for him to visit. So volatile was the situation that White House officials were counting on the assumption that, by the time Air Force One lands on Russian soil, the country's parliament will have confirmed a new government headed by acting Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.

Yeltsin's declaration that he planned to serve out the remaining two years of his term offered the hope of at least one friendly face amid the growing band of people who blame the United States for their country's vast economic problems.

By the end of the day, the stage was set for the two presidents - both weakened at home - to spend much of the day together Tuesday discussing Russia's financial crisis, proposals to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles, violence in Kosovo, the threat of Iraq and international terrorism.

White House aides dismissed criticism that Clinton has aligned himself too closely with Yeltsin. National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger said repeatedly that ``the policies here are far more important than who may be the individuals that are in the government.''

Even those White House officials who flatly stated the trip was important had trouble Friday explaining exactly what the United States - or Russia for that matter - would get out of it.

``Although the key political and economic choices are up to the Russian people themselves, we need to engage actively, even - or especially - in a time of crisis,'' Berger said. The president, he said, needs to reinforce the ideal of democracy and economic reform.

Second, Berger said, ``the Russian people should know that, particularly in times of difficulty, the United States and the West will not turn away from cooperation. As they do the things necessary to restore stability and progress, we are prepared to support them. I believe that alone will have some stabilizing effect for the Russian people.''

Support, however, does not mean money, the one thing Russia desperately needs.

``This is not a summit about money,'' said P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the National Security Council. ``This is a summit about Russia's commitment to economic reform.''

Originally, Clinton said he would not go to Russia until the Duma, or lower house of parliament, ratified the START II treaty to reduce nuclear warheads. That hasn't happened, and, Berger said Friday, ``I would not expect any progress on this area.''

Administration officials acknowledged that Clinton's message to Moscow will be that it must continue along a path that certainly will inflict more pain on its already suffering population.

``Clearly, there are no shortcuts, no silver bullets, no quick fixes,'' said National Economic Adviser Gene Sperling.

While experts on Russia questioned the value of the summit in the face of the economic crisis there, few suggested Clinton should stay at home. Several did offer pessimistic appraisals of the outcome.

``I can hardly think of a more ill-timed summit meeting in a country,'' said Clifford Gaddy, a specialist on the Russian economy at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. The collapse of Russia's market, he said, represents ``the last bits of the veneer of the Russian reforms being stripped away . . .

``So it's now time to face reality. Russia has not undergone fundamental reform of its economy. Moreover, and perhaps more important, there are, in my opinion, no prospects that it will anytime soon.''