United States President George Bush on Monday flew to Europe where he will confront Russian President Vladimir Putin over US plans to base a new missile defence system in former Russian satellite countries.
The White House described as unhelpful a warning by Putin that if the US goes ahead with its plan, Russia will retaliate by training its missiles on European targets. Echoing the White House line, a Nato spokesperson, James Appathurai, said: ”These kind of comments are unhelpful and unwelcome.”
US-Russian relations have deteriorated sharply since the two leaders met six years ago and Bush said he had looked into Putin’s soul and that he liked what he saw there.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Stephen Hadley, the national security adviser at the White House, acknowledged that ”there has been some escalation in the rhetoric”. He said: ”We think that that is not helpful. We would like to have a constructive dialogue with Russia on this issue. We have had it in the past.”
Moscow sees US missile bases in Eastern Europe as a threat. The US reiterated on Monday that it was a defence system, aimed not at Russia, but at potential attack from so-called rogue states, namely Iran.
Bush and Putin are set for a showdown at the G8 summit in Germany where they are due to hold bilateral talks on Thursday.
The Bush administration has become increasingly impatient with what it regards as Putin’s increasingly authoritarian approach at home and abroad, the use of oil and gas to bully its neighbours, failure to support tough international sanctions against Iran and its championing of Serbian opposition to an independent Kosovo.
Bush did little to soothe Russia by stopping first in the Czech Republic, the location of a radar base for the missile system. He will end his tour in Poland, the other base for the missile system.
Downing Street responded to Putin’s threat by saying Russia must decide whether it wants a constructive relationship with Europe and the West.
It is likely that Putin and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will meet at the G8 summit. Blair is expected to press Russia to recognise that the West respects Russia and wants a constructive relationship on issues such as Kosovo and Iran.
A Bush administration source cautioned against expecting any breakthroughs in US-Russian relations at the G8 summit. Hopes have been transferred to a more relaxed meeting at the Bush holiday compound in New England on July 1.
Other US concerns include the crackdown by Putin on pro-democracy activists in Russia, increasing centralisation and the possibility that he will not stand down, as required by the Constitution, at the end of his term. There are fears that Putin could exploit the showdown with the US as an excuse to extend his stay.
Under Russia’s Constitution Putin is obliged to step down next spring after two four-year terms as leader. Putin has always insisted he will leave office. But over the weekend he said he was too young to retire — a hint that he may be considering a continued political role.
Most analysts believe Putin will leave office unless he is convinced that Russia faces a serious threat. But Putin’s attacks on the West — and the sharp decline in US-Russian relations — could signal that the threat has now arrived.
The pro-Kremlin United Russia party on Monday said it would discuss with Putin the issue of having longer presidential terms — probably from 2012 — lasting for five or even seven years. ”We will have a meeting in early July and I believe we will discuss this initiative in detail,” Boris Gryzlov, the party’s leader and Duma speaker said on Monday.
Putin’s most likely successor, Sergei Ivanov — Russia’s first deputy prime minister and another hawkish KGB veteran — hailed Russia’s recent successful cruise missile test. Ivanov said that the experimental short-range Iskander-M missile fired last week from southern Astrakhan had hit its target to within one metre.
”This is a good result considering it was a pre-trial,” Ivanov said. The missile is likely to be deployed in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and used to target the US missile bases in Poland and the Czech Republic, analysts suggest. – Guardian Unlimited Â