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Putin, Bush Firm Friends Despite Russia's Loss Of Status
Moscow (AFP) Jan 18, 2002 A year into George W. Bush's presidency, he and Vladimir Putin are on good terms although the US has chipped away at Russia's dwindling status by abandoning the ABM treaty and stationing troops in Central Asia. The relationship got off to a chilly start with a major spy row in February last year that saw mass tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats reminiscent of the Cold War. Washington and Moscow also locked horns over a series of thorny issues such as contested plans for a US anti-missile shield, the Russian military crackdown in Chechnya and Moscow's arms sales to Iran. But the two leaders broke the ice during a walk at their first meeting in Slovenia in June. Bush showed his "trust" in Putin by inviting him to his beloved Texas ranch in the autumn. For his part the Kremlin chief adopted a conciliatory tone on all points of friction between the two countries, affirming that "there is nothing that cannot be resolved" and predicting a "pragmatic relationship between Russia and the United States." The two men agreed to accept their differences and avoid exploiting them. The Russian army pursued its heavy-handed operation in Chechnya and the Kremlin kept up the pressure on opposition media, such as the NTV television channel and later TV-6, without Washington voicing too much of a protest.
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