The George Bush and Vladimir Putin Show debuted yesterday in the form of a press conference following their landmark three hour meeting in the Slovakian capital of Bratislav — and beneath the smiles there was some tension.
And perhaps some relief.
The reason: Bush did what he had to do (keep his relationship with Russia’s political honcho intact despite tentions of Iran, the Ukraine, the Iraq war, and Putin’s curtailment of certain aspects of democracy). And Putin did what he had to do (say he’d work with the United States, insist there was no going back to the previous regime, hold firm on Russia’s stands that differ from the U.S. and note that U.S. democracy isn’t perfect, either).
The big trophy for the meeting was an agreement that could reduce nuclear terrorism’s threat by quickening the pace of securing and dismantling of some of Russia’s nuclear materials. But it was the underlying reality that mattered most: Putin is increasingly putting his country on a path different from the U.S.’s. And Bush’s inaugural address promised steadfast promotion and defense of liberty which means he can’t remain silent if Putin is edging Russia back to some old, unlamented ways.
The New York Times notes this:
Mr. Putin tartly responded that he would listen to some of Mr. Bush’s ideas but not comment on others and said that debating “whether we have more or less democracy is not the right thing to do.”
The Russian president also said that the American Electoral College was in essence a “secret ballot” and pointedly noted, “It is not considered undemocratic, is it?”
Some other press reaction:
—England’s Telegraph:”In a reflection of the difficulties, Mr Bush later found himself having to defend American values as the Russian media leapt to the defence of Mr Putin and accused Mr Bush of hypocrisy in criticising Russian democracy.”
–England’s Independent was even blunter:
An unsmiling, visibly irritated Mr Putin squirmed as he listened to Mr Bush tell a press conference he had been told that Washington had “concerns about Russia’s commitment in fulfilling” the “universal principles” of democracy. “Democracies always reflect a country’s customs and culture, and I know that,” Mr Bush said. “Yet democracies have certain things in common; they have a rule of law, and protection of minorities, a free press, and a viable political opposition.”
Mr Putin had wanted to talk about the two countries’ joint efforts to combat terrorism but was forced instead to defend his domestic reforms and his commitment to democracy.
For a man who is seldom subjected to such face-to-face criticism and is famously cool under pressure, he looked at times as if he was about to lose his composure….
The two men could not, however, have looked more different.
Mr Bush looked satisfied that he had obliged Mr Putin to justify his views on democracy and claimed a statement from the Russian leader vowing not to roll it back was the meeting’s most important moment. Mr. Putin…indulged in none of the informal small talk beloved of Mr Bush and looked relieved to exit the stage with a stiff handshake, his face taut with pressure. In Russian official circles, the meeting is likely to be seen as a humiliation.
–The Christian Science Monitor said the meeting “set a positive agenda of cooperation on security, terrorism, and nonproliferation” with the two leaders “choosing to play down disagreements and clouds over Russia’s democratic process.” And, the Monitor noted, Bush gave Putin more than what some Congressional critics wanted:
Bush said he has come to know the Russian leader, who bluntly opposed the US-led war in Iraq, as a man of his word, so he said he is has confidence when he says Russia is incontrovertibly on the road of democracy. That is unlikely to satisfy critics, including in the US Congress, who want concrete steps to nudge Russia back from its retreat from democracy. But Bush appeared to nix one such step some critics have recommended when he said he would seek to accelerate Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization, a move Putin dearly wants to enhance Russia’s membership in the international community.
So…on balance…both sides seemed to do what they needed to do to maintain their policies and placate critics…for now. The real conflict points — on Iran, Iraq and democracy in Russia and other parts of what was once the Soviet Union — are still out there.
UPDATE: A CNS news report examines a Pravda report and says it indicates Bush was quite tough on Putin in private…which may also explain what some considered Putin’s notably sour attitude.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.