"Of course there was no major breakthrough," said Putin. "We (Russia) reaffirmed our support for the 1972 ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) agreement.

"At the same time, there is movement," he added, in reference to his Sunday meeting with Bush in Genoa.

In what was instantly billed as an historic step foreword, Putin and Bush on Sunday agreed to link negotiations over controversial US missile defense plans -- which Moscow opposes -- with an agreement over bilateral nuclear warhead reductions, which Russia supports.

"We are interested in, and are able to make steady progress towards, the elimination of offensive weapons," Putin said Monday.

He added that "we think that it is right" to link negotiations over nuclear disarmament and the ABM accord, which in its current form bans Washington's proposed missile defense system.

Putin underlined that a new round of negotiations would continue when he meets Thursday with Bush's visiting national security advisor Condoleezza Rice.

However, Putin's comments on Monday were followed hours later by a declaration in Rome from Bush that if Washington fails to get Moscow approval on missile defense, it still would press ahead with the project on its own.

"If we can't reach agreement, we are going to implement," said Bush.

"I can understand why he (Putin) wants time and I'm going to give him some time but I also want to emphasize to you that time is of the essence. It is time to move beyond" the ABM accord, the US president said.

Moscow newspapers on Monday pronounced the results of the weekend talks between the two leaders as a complete Russian failure -- even an abdication.

"Russia gave up," the Kommersant business daily announced over a front-page photograph of Putin raising his arms in a gesture of surrender.

"The 1972 anti-missile defense treaty has ceased to exist," the leading Moscow newspaper said.

"The Americans got what they wanted," agreed Vadim Solovyov, an observer with the military newspaper Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye.

"Russia is changing its politics. Putin is altering his strategy and agreeing with the tactics of the United States," said Solovyov.

Other pundits however took a more cautious line, similar to that proclaimed by Putin on Monday, saying that Russia did not appear to have given up yet on the ABM agreement.

"There is clearly a desire to ease the tensions that have surrounded the missile defense negotiations," one Western diplomat in Moscow said. "But that, in and of itself, is no guarantee of success."

"All that has been agreed so far is a will to start a new round of consultations," agreed Alexander Pikayev, a strategic defense analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center.

"For Russia, the positive here is that the Republicans at the start did not want any dialogue at all, and just planned to pull out of the ABM on their own. Now the United States is being more cooperative," said Pikayev.

In Moscow, this alone could be seen as a significant victory for a country that is playing with a very poor economic hand.

"Judging by all accounts, the period of unilateral US statements, inflexibility and firmness are over," said Vladimir Lukin, the deputy speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament.

"The Americans know full well that Russia's heavy missiles will be withdrawn from service in 2008 and that they have, long ago, passed their guaranteed existence," added military analyst Alexander Golts.

"With or without treaties, Russia will be forced to dramatically reduce its nuclear arsenal over the coming years."

Putin displayed only a hint of compromise, while knowing full well that Russia's nuclear arms stock is running dry fast, some analysts said.

"This is a very timely decision because in one year, Russia would have had much less to negotiate with," Solovyov said.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Military Space News at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News