WASHINGTON -- Despite Russia's anxieties, President Bill Clinton called NATO's eastward expansion inevitable but said Thursday the larger alliance would have close ties to Russia.


He said that visiting Chancellor Helmut Kohl of German, whom Clinton greeted at the White House as "one of the pre-eminent statesmen of our time," agreed with the concept.


"We are in full agreement on the topics," Kohl said after the two leaders talked for two hours. "The question of stability is more urgent than ever before," he said, while saying transatlantic ties must be strengthened.


Both leaders stressed that the spread must be gradual, and relations with Russia and Ukraine strengthened simultaneously. Kohl, alluding to Russia's qualms about the alliance approaching its borders, said "misunderstandings" must be avoided.


NATO has set aside 1995 to study expansion. Clinton's statement that it is inevitable foreshadows the results of any study.


"The inevitable process of NATO expansion will be gradual and open," Clinton said at a joint news conference held by the two leaders. "There will be no surprises."


On other sensitive topics, Clinton said the United States would offer up to $20 million for relief in Chechnya, the rebellious Russian republic to which Russian President Boris Yeltsin sent a fearsome military force; and Kohl stressed the need for efforts to settle the 34-month war in Bosnia.


Asked about Yeltsin's future, Kohl called him "a man on whom one can rely." He completely adhered to his promise to withdraw Russian troops from Germany, Kohl said.


And yet, Kohl said in German, a prerequisite for continuing support for Yeltsin is that reforms must go on. He warned against pushing the Russian leader "into a corner" over the conflict in Chechnya.


That, Kohl said, would immediately "bring us back to the old bad past, the bad structures."


Clinton, agreeing, expressed confidence in Yeltsin, pointing out that Russia carried through withdrawing its troops from the Baltics and complied with nuclear agreements with the United States.


"You have to be able to deal with the rough spots on the road and stay on course," Clinton said. On of those rough spots clearly is Chechnya, where tens of thousands have been killed or made homeless in Yeltsin's massive use of force to deter secession.


Clinton said Kohl shared his "fears" that the Chechen conflict could have a "corrosive effect" on market reform in Russia. The president said Russia's efforts to become a stable democracy must succeed.


Kohl sidestepped a question on whether the arms embargo against Bosnia should be lifted, which he said would come up later when he meets with congressional leaders. Clinton said tersely his position has not changed. It is that the embargo should be lifted only with the approval of other countries -- a move very unlikely since Britain and France are opposed.


After talks at the White House, Kohl was heading to Capitol Hill for a series of meetings with the leaders of the new Republican-led Congress. He was due back at the White House later on Thursday night for a black-tie dinner.


Earlier, Clinton, Kohl and hundreds of invited guests braved frigid temperatures on the South Lawn of the White House for a formal welcoming ceremony before the leaders moved into the Oval Office for their private talks.


"Today marks another stride in our extraordinary journey together, one that has lasted nearly a half a century," Clinton said.


Kohl noted the cold weather, then said: "This does not correspond to the feeling we have toward one another."


"The sun breaks the strength of the cold and warms all of us, and I think that this is a perfect image for our common future," the chancellor said.