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Bush goes home without shield deal

US President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to overcome sharp differences over a US missile defense system, closing their seven-year relationship still far apart on an issue that has separated them from the beginning.

Despite the impasse, the two leaders agreed that Moscow and Washington would work together closely in the future on missile defense and other difficult issues.

Putin was asked whether or not he — or president-elect Dmitry Medvedev — would be in charge of Russia’s foreign policy after May 7, when Putin steps down as president and is expected to be named prime minister.

Putin said Medvedev would be in charge, and would represent Russia at the G8 meeting of industrial democracies in July in Tokyo.

“Mr. Medvedev has been one of the co-authors of Russia’s foreign policy,’’ Putin said. “He’s completely on top of things.’’

US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, when asked later whether he thought Putin actually was going to cede authority on Russian foreign policy to Medvedev, said, “My guess is that these two men who have worked very closely together for now almost two decades will have a very collaborative relationship. That seems to be a good thing, not a bad thing.’’

Hadley, who spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One on the way home to Washington, also said he didn’t see any prospect of a breakthrough on missile defense before Bush leaves office in January.

“They can leave that to their prospective successors,’’ he said. Later on the trip back, Hadley said,

“We’ve got as much of an agreement as you can expect to get from these two leaders at this point in time,’’ he said.

Russia remains strongly opposed to the expansion of the alliance into its backyard, an enlargement that Bush has actively championed over Putin’s vocal objections.

Putin called the US missile plan — which envisions basing tracking radar sites in the Czech Republic and interceptors in Poland — the hardest difference to reconcile.

“This is not about language. This is not about diplomatic phrasing or wording. This is about the substance of the issue,’’ he said.

Bush reiterated his insistence that the plan — designed to intercept and destroy approaching ballistic missiles — is not a threat to Russia.

In a clear reference to Iran, he said the system would help protect Europe from “regimes that could try to hold us hostage.’’

“I view this as defensive, not offense,’’ Bush said. “And, obviously, we’ve got a lot of work to convince the experts this defense system is not aimed at Russia.’’

He blamed opposition to the plan to lingering Cold War fears.

The two leaders did issue a joint statement on missile defense as part of a “strategic framework’’ to guide future relations.

The statement outlined timeworn positions but also held out the prospect for future cooperation, perhaps on a joint system. That, said Putin, represents “certain progress.’’

“If we manage to achieve this kind of level of cooperation on a global missile defense system, this will be the best kind of result for all our preceding efforts,’’ he said.

Bush bristled at a journalist’s question that suggested the two leaders were merely “kicking the can down the road’’ on the issue.

“You can cynically say that it is kicking the can down the road. I don’t appreciate that, because this is an important part of my belief that it is necessary to protect ourselves,’’ Bush said.

The two sides also agreed to “develop a legally binding arrangement following expiration’’ in December 2009 of the strategic arms limitation treaty.

Their joint declaration noted the “substantial reductions already carried out’’ under that pact, which they said was an important step in reducing the number of deployed nuclear warheads.
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