Russia: Putin, Bush Mark Differences But Accent Positive

April 6, 2008

The U.S. and Russian presidents have failed to resolve differences over missile defense in eastern Europe, but signed a declaration which expressed their readiness to search for a compromise. George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, nearing the end of their presidencies, met at a farewell summit today in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi.

At a joint press conference after the talks, Putin said Moscow continues to oppose the U.S. plan to base radar sites in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland.

“Of course, we used our meeting to discuss all the hot topics of the day candidly, without any protocol, in particular those on which the strategic stability and international security depend on the long term,” Putin said. “I will be frank: one of the most difficult questions was, and remains, the antimissile defense in Europe. The problem is not about the formulation, the diplomatic construction of sentences, but about the essence of the problem. I want to be understood correctly. No change has occured in our attitude in principle to U.S. plans.”

Differences On Missile Defense

But Putin said he felt “cautious optimism” that the two sides can eventually reach agreement and that U.S. confidence-building proposals would be “important and useful” if implemented.

He also said differences remain on a replacement for the START nuclear-arms treaty but that the presidents have agreed upon a “strategic framework” guiding future U.S.-Russia relations.

Bush acknowledged there is still work to do to persuade Moscow that the missile-defense system is not aimed at Russia and said people must accept that the Cold War has ended.

“We’ve spent a lot of time in our relationship trying to get rid of the Cold War,” Bush said. “It’s over, it ended. And the fundamental question in this relationship is: Now, can we work together to put the Cold War in the past.”

U.S. To Address Russian Concerns

Bush said measures to ensure transparency and confidence-building in the missile-defense project will address Russian concerns. He added that the two leaders have agreed to intensify their dialogue.

“We agreed today that the United States and Russia want to create a system for responding to potential missile threats in which Russia, and the United States, and Europe will participate as equal partners,” Bush said. “This is a powerful and important strategic vision.”

In their joint declaration, Bush and Putin said serious differences also remain over NATO’s eastward expansion.
At a NATO summit in Bucharest that ended on Friday, leaders of the alliance declared that Ukraine and Georgia will eventually be included as members.

Russia maintains that NATO’s plans to include the two former Soviet republics will be viewed as a threat. The Romanian summit also saw NATO countries agreeing to back the antimissile defense plans.

WTO Also Discussed

On the economic front, Bush said he supports Russia’s efforts to joint the World Trade Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He also said he supports Washington’s dropping the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik Amendment linking trade with Russia to human rights issues.

Bush held separate talks with Dmitry Medvedev, who takes over as Russian president in early May.

Bush said he gained a positive first impression of Russia’s president-elect, and is looking forward to working with him.
Medvedev said he hopes to continue advancing Russia-U.S. relations, which he describes as a “key factor in international security.”

Putin said Medvedev will determine Russia’s foreign policy when he steps down as president and takes over, as is widely assumed, as prime minister.

Source Radio Free Europe

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