A mixed performance for Medvedev in G-8 debut

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His success, too, was decidedly mixed.

Medvedev's mostly solid performance at the meeting of leaders from the Group of Eight industrial nations set him apart from Putin, who cut a more confrontational figure than his hand-picked successor.

But it was unlikely to settle doubts about his authority in Russia, where the popular Putin has formed power bases as the new prime minister and leader of the dominant political party and has not ruled out a return to the presidency.

There also was no public sign that Medvedev convinced his G-8 counterparts that the emphasis he has placed on individual freedoms and the rule of law will bring real change in Russia, where Putin consolidated and expanded the Kremlin's power.

Putin, a longtime KGB officer, built much of his popularity at home by reasserting Moscow's global clout, and relations with the West have suffered from clashes on energy policy, jousting over influence in ex-Soviet republics and concern over the health of democracy in Russia.

Part of the brief for Medvedev, a 42-year-old former lawyer, appears to be to soothe rifts and help further Russia's efforts to increase its global economic and political influence without backing down in crucial disputes.

Speaking for a resurgent Russia at a G-8 session shadowed by soaring fuel and food prices, Medvedev vowed to use his country's "growing capabilities" and abundant resources to help solve world problems.

But conciliation wasn't on the table for the missile defense system the U.S. wants to erect in eastern Europe. Medvedev angrily echoed Putin's virulent opposition to the plan although he stopped short of repeating the Russian Foreign Ministry's threat of a military response.

Medvedev did meet the West halfway on Zimbabwe. He signed on to a G-8 statement promising punishment for culprits in election violence, but he balked at U.N. sanctions against President Robert Mugabe's government.

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