Bush and Putin discuss Iran and nuclear weapons over lunch
US President George Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin sat down today for lunch and informal talks on ongoing nuclear disputes with North Korea and Iran, as the US leader paid an unusual visit to Moscow en route to a summit of Asian leaders.
The Kremlin said in a statement after the meeting that the two presidents discussed the Iranian nuclear program, the situation in the Middle East and nuclear nonproliferation.
It also said the two confirmed their readiness for an agreement to be signed on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation – a highly emotional issue that has taken centre stage in Washington and Moscow’s chilling relationship in recent months.
Bush paused on his plane journey to visit the Russian leader for an hour and a half at an airport stopover on his way to Asia for an eight-day trip that includes stays in Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Bush has meetings scheduled with several important allies, including Putin, on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific Rim leaders in Hanoi, Vietnam, later this week.
But only Putin rated a social call as well.
When Bush and his wife, Laura, landed, they were greeted on a red carpet on the tarmac by Putin and his wife, Lyudmila. The Russian president presented Mrs. Bush with a bouquet of yellow, orange and red flowers and the foursome exchanged kisses.
Inside the marble-floored Vnukovo Airport terminal, the two couples took seats in ornate armchairs for photographers, a table nearby laid with lunch.
The Bushes presented their hosts with a gift of a jumbo photograph of the four of them in one of the golf-cart sized electric cars that the Russians made available to leaders attending the Group of Eight summit Putin hosted in St Petersburg in June.
The brief gathering was billed by White House advisers as not much more than a greeting between friends while Bush accepted the Russian generosity of allowing Air Force One to refuel in Moscow halfway through the 19-hour flight to Singapore. But the rarity of a president flying east to Asia, rather than west, no doubt reflected that the Washington-Moscow relationship needs a little extra care lately.
Russian officials described the meeting as cordial. As Bush was boarding his plane to resume his journey, he got a hug from Putin.
Russia voted for US-backed United Nations sanctions on North Korea after it conducted a nuclear weapons test. Now Washington is seeking to overcome Russian reluctance toward an upcoming vote on UN. sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
At the United Nations in New York, US Ambassador John Bolton said he hoped that Russia would stop blocking the US push for sanctions.
“We’ve been trying to get sanctions in the Security Council against Iran’s nuclear weapons program and we’ve been having a lot of difficulty with Russia in particular, so I hope they had a chance to talk about that issue,” he said.
The Bush administration also has sharpened criticism of democratic erosion under Putin this year, particularly with the murder last month of a reporter critical of Russian policy in Chechnya. Objections include a Russian law restricting charity groups.
Russia’s escalating spat with Georgia, a former Soviet republic, has also clouded relations with the United States. Putin, aware of cooling relations with the United States and Europe, also has been working to build Russia’s influence in its neighbourhood and in Asia.
On Russia’s side, relations have been strained by delays in an agreement with Washington for Moscow’s entry into the WTO, a long-time Russian goal.
Now, after 12 years of negotiations, the countries are moving toward signing a bilateral pact in Hanoi.
Russia’s trade ministry said the minister, German Gref, expects to sign the long-anticipated WTO deal on Sunday with US Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
Putin and Bush also are due to meet again on Sunday in Hanoi.
