US-Russia Summit Ends with Show of Conciliation
US President George W. Bush asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to follow democracy more closely. The Russian leader responded by saying the Western world fails to understand the developments in Russia: "Russia made its final decision to support democracy; there is no return." After the Bratislava summit, both leaders resorted to clichés. Bush touched upon the Iranian nuclear program at almost every stop of his European tour and said he shares Putin’s position on Iranian and North Korean disarmament. Putin announced last week that they would assist Iran with its nuclear program for civilian purposes. It was noted that no message was sent regarding Iran, one of the toughest issues the leaders discussed. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the US did not accuse Russia of anything related to Iran during the summit and Putin reiterated his support for the strengthening of US-Russia relations.
Before the summit yesterday (February 24), the foreign ministers of both countries signed a movable missile agreement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said only Russia and the US produce these sorts of weapons and said the agreement does not place any commercial prohibitions on these missiles. Reportedly, Bush and Putin also agreed to make Russia a member of the World Trade Organization. Observers say the summit will not have a great deal of influence.
The Bush administration and the US Congress have criticized Moscow saying that recent internal developments stray from democratic inclinations. The US considers the Putin administration to have regressed in structural reforms as well as freedom of press and entrepreneurship. Lately, members of the US Congress have demanded the exclusion of Russia from the G-8 organization and accused the country of taking democracy backward. The most important motivation for developing relations between the two countries relates to the "soft revolutions" in two former Soviet republics as well as the fact that Russia’s close relations with Iran and Syria concern the US. With regard to Iraq, both countries are still trying to come to terms of conciliation as dstrust between the US and Russia continues.
