Russia: Bush Assures Putin US Does not Seek a New Cold War
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Published on: April 13th 2007 18:50:59
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| US officials are sufficiently concerned about rising US tensions with Russia to have prompted President Bush to telephone President Putin last week to assure him about US intentions. The immediate cause is the US plan to place certain facilities for ballistic missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic. But the list of US differences with Russia is lengthening: Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, arms control, energy, Iran, central Asia to name a few. US officials speak with alarm about the deepening political crisis in Ukraine. A National Security Council official commented: “Russia is trying to re-incorporate Ukraine as a satellite.” Intelligence analysts believe that Putin sees Ukraine as a “bargaining chip” for his support over Iran. Of special long-term concern are Moscow’s increasingly cooperative relations with Beijing in what Putin calls the “Year of China in Russia.” Officials at the State Department and National Intelligence Council characterize Russian foreign policy as “confident and assertive.” They hope that US support for Russian entry into the World Trade Organization can help ease tensions. A difficulty here is that this requires Congressional support. This may not be easy to secure given increasingly hostile attitudes to Russia on Capitol Hill. |
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