Russian President Vladimir Putin bowed out of his last Group of Eight summit on Friday having achieved his ambition of cementing Russia's place at the top table of world powers - but at a price.
Russia's new assertiveness has contributed to feuds with the West over issues from Kosovo to missile defence and human rights, problems he is likely to bequeath to whoever replaces him when he steps down next year.
"Russia has returned as a global player. (When Putin took over) it was a weak regional power and he will hand over to his successor a country with global horizons," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the journal Russia in Global Affairs. "Now the question arises ... What next?" said Lukyanov. "His successor is going to have a very tough task."
But the three-day summit showed that Russia's stance is more subtle than the image of a belligerent bear snarling at the West which dominated newspaper headlines before Putin arrived on Germany's Baltic coast.
Four days before he set off for Heiligendamm, Putin warned Russia would once again target its missiles at Europe in response to a US plan for a missile shield in Europe. That unleashed a fresh wave of speculation about a new Cold War.
Once at the summit, Putin avoided any public rows on this or any other issues, and he showed he was ready for compromise. He offered the United States use of a Russian-operated radar station in Azerbaijan as an alternative to the missile shield. That flexibility will reassure the West, and foreign investors in Russia fearful that worsening foreign relations could hurt the investment climate in a country with the second-largest growth rate among the world's major economies. "(Investors are) looking for evidence of a better, more pragmatic relationship required to help sustain economic progress in Russia in 2008 and beyond," said Chris Weafer, chief strategist at Russia's Alfa Bank.
The summit was not all plain sailing. Western leaders said they had challenged Putin, limited by the constitution to two terms in office, over concerns he is eroding democracy.
That issue was underlined when, as Putin spoke at a news conference, a protester stood up and threw leaflets into the air accusing him of being a tyrant. Putin, who has looked relaxed and confident at the summit and on Friday spoke to reporters in his shirt sleeves, was unflustered - the mark of a man convinced his country has earned its place in the elite club.
Since he came to power in 2000, Russia has slashed its foreign debts, climbed into the world's top 10 economies by gross domestic product and accumulated about $117 billion in an oil windfall fund. This economic revival has helped give it the confidence to stand up to the West on the Middle East, Iran, Kosovo and the missile shield.
The next challenge will be left to his successor - who analysts predict will be whichever of his lieutenants the hugely popular Putin recommends to voters as his heir.
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