Still, he ruled out chances of a new Cold War and insisted that Moscow wants to be friends with NATO.
“None of the global players — Europe, the United States or Russia — is interested in returning to the past,” Putin said. “And we have no ideological differences.”
He took note of Russia’s agreement to facilitate transit of supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan across Russian territory.
The White House said Bush repeated his frequent assurances that the Cold War is over and Russia is not the enemy.
Bush and Putin are expected to announce a “strategic framework” to guide relations beyond their time in office toward a less rocky future.
A major area of dispute is Bush’s plan to build a missile defense shield in Europe to protect against what the US sees as an emerging threat from Iran and other adversaries. Russia regards it as a move to undercut its nuclear deterrent.
Putin praised Bush for trying to assuage Russia’s concerns by offering to share information from the anti-missile system and to delay its activation until a nation like Iran tests a ballistic missile capable of reaching European cities.
“It’s positive that they have heard our concerns,” Putin said.
He said the latest US proposals show that “our US partners are thinking about ensuring transparency and mutual trust.”
Despite its strong rhetoric, Russia appears to accept that it is unlikely to stop the system. US officials said missile defense would be part of the strategic framework but it remained an open question how far Putin was willing to go.
Putin criticized NATO nations for failing to ratify an amended version of the Cold War-era Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, which limits the deployment of aircraft, tanks and other heavy weapons on the continent. Russia last fall suspended its participation in the treaty, saying its old version became meaningless when nations in the former Soviet orbit joined NATO.
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