Washington, June 17 (RFE/RL) - A leading U.S. Congressman says the results of yesterday's Russian presidential election are "reasonably good from the perspective" of the United States.
However, Lee Hamilton (D-Indiana), the senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, says reductions in direct U.S. financial assistance to Russia are likely to continue no matter who wins the second round of voting next month.
Hamilton says the results indicate that the "Russian people are clearly divided," and that the political environment remains "volatile and fragile."