Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's cozy stay at the Bush
family's century-old seaside retreat, it is unlikely the two
leaders will find common ground on thorny issues such as the US
missile shield in Eastern Europe or Kosovo's future, analysts
say.
"As long as the US insists on deploying its missile shield in
Poland and the Czech Republic, the former sphere of Russian
influence, Moscow will feel threatened by US expansion and mistrust
or confrontation is unavoidable," Fu Mengzi, director of the
Institute of American Studies at the China Institute of
Contemporary International Relations, told China Daily
yesterday.
But despite this the two leaders may be prepared to search for
some common ground, said Fu.
Bush is going out of his way to comfort the angry Putin in the
hope his plans in Eastern Europe will meet less resistance from
Moscow, he said.
"At the same time, with the negotiation of Russia's entry into
the World Trade Organization coming to a critical point, Russia
also needs Washington's support.
"The warm reception also reflects US appreciation for the role
Russia has played in transferring US$25 million back to Pyongyang
from a Macao-based bank, helping the return of inspectors from the
International Atomic Energy Agency to North Korea," said Shi
Yinhong, a professor at Beijing's Renmin University of China.
The row over the US missile defense system is just the latest
episode in a slow burning row between the two countries, Shi said.
"Russia has been angry about NATO's eastward expansion for a long
time and the missile system was the last straw," said Shi.
(China Daily July 3, 2007)
