ON July 2, President Bush of the US and President Putin of Russia met at their summit for 24 hours at the family holiday resort, Kennebunkport, a small town on the Maine coast that is home to President Bush senior's summer retreat. President Putin agreed to meet the US President as he was on his way to Central America.

The media dubbed the summit as “Lobster Summit” because lobster is the seafood of choice at Kennebunkport. Bush's officials however did not consider it a summit but an unofficial visit of Russia's President.

Why was the meeting held at Kennebunkport?

President Putin responded positively when, at the G-8 Summit in Germany in June, President Bush invited Putin to Kennebunkport because Bush thought the venue would be a congenial setting for discussions on unresolved strategic issues, away from the White House and the media spotlight.

The menu of issues between US and Russia were many and prickly. It included (a) missile defense in Eastern Europe, (b) Kosovo independence, and (c) Iran's nuclear proliferation.

On each issue Russia differed with the US. Nothing could move on until Russia would agree because it is not only a Security Council member but has viewed the US initiatives as extending its influence across the world, even in the backyard of Russia.

Miscalculation of President Bush about Putin?

It is interesting to note at their first meeting in June 2001, President Bush famously said about Putin: “I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy...I was able to get a sense of his soul."

That reading of Putin by Bush looks like a serious error of his judgment. Does the US President now see the darker side of this Russian President, a lawyer and former KGB officer? I bet it is.

President Putin's recent candid statements have alarmed Washington. First his indirect comparison of US foreign policy to the Third Reich (Hitler's regime), his criticism of the war in Iraq and then his threat to point Russian missiles at Europe, if the US stations missile defense bases in the Czech Republic and Poland against spurious US claim of possible Iran's missile attack in Europe.

At the G-8 summit, Russian President proposed to Bush that for Iran's missile attack, Azerbaijan's Russian radar base could be used for American missile defense shield. This very proposal not only surprised the Bush administration but also had been viewed as a shrewd

diplomatic move on the part of Russia. Azerbaijan is the backyard of Russia and has a huge military missile base.

Putin's Russia

Putin's Russia is different. He wants his vast country (the largest physical territory) as a symbol of stability and unity. With the rise of oil and gas price, Russia is much richer now. Its economic growth steadily increased for more than 7% for the last few years. Inflation fell down under 10% per cent last year. Russia has taken control of its natural resources.

Russia has come back quickly under Putin from depth of humiliation and this makes Russians feel

better. Oil wealth has helped bring back Russia. A $200 billion military modernisation project over the eight years indicates a sense of heightened power.

Opposition to Putin is small and the media is controlled by Kremlin. The regional governors are appointed by the Kremlin and elections are not held. A new Opposition “Just Russia” was recently established and it supports Putin policies. The party has no plans to put up a candidate for the Presidential election.

His popularity has grown among Russians because they have money and stability in the country. Opinion polls suggest that President Putin

could easily win a third term, if there were no constitutional bar. He could return in 2012 as the President.

Summit at the Kennebunkport

To get into an informal setting of the summit, details have planned. Bush and his wife Laura greeted President Putin, flanked by former President Bush (President's father) who went to pick up the Russian leader when his flight landed in the US and accompanied him on the short helicopter ride to Kennebunkport.

After posing for pictures and exchange of kisses of greeting with Laura Bush, US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice and former first lady, Barbara Bush, Mr. Putin

climbed into a car with the US President for a drive to the water front and a boat ride. All these settings were to put Putin to ease into informality.

Putin played the diplomatic game well. He arrived without a tie but took flowers for Laura Bush and for former first lady, Barbara. Before he left Moscow, President Putin disarmed the US by saying that “I hope that the dialogue with this person with whom I have formed good, I would say, friendly relations, will take place in exactly that spirit.” How diplomatic he was in expressing the hope of finding solution to the prickly issues.

He termed the relations with President Bush “good” and then he said “friendly”. This diplomatic statement had been couched in a very ambiguous language and could be interpreted in either way - cool and correct or good and friendly.

For President Bush, the effort to squeeze Iran seemed to be the most urgent issue with President Putin. Washington needs Russia's support at the Security Council to pass new harsh sanctions against Iran, the third round this year by mid-July. Russia has deep economic interests in Iran and has supplied much of the equipment and expertise for Iran's main civilian reactor. It is not known whether Putin would agree to new range of sanctions against Iran, although it did support earlier sanctions.

Media called the relations either a “new Cold War” or a situation in which Russia is not an enemy but cannot be described as close friend of the US. Russia is a competitor, playing some international rules, and is determined to see that unipolarity in the global world by lone superpower US is gradually eliminated. China and Russia have been close to see the end of one superpowercalling all the shots in the world.

Some political analysts say that Russia is not seeking confrontation with the US but is seeking a basis for remaking a globalised world in which multiple players will have a role to playincluding theUN.

Reports indicate that Putin stuck to his ground. He sees the missile defense proposal in Eastern Europe as a potential threat to Russia. He proposed that his alternative to use Azerbaijan base be developed jointly by Russia-NATO Council, set up in 2002. The leaders did not announce any breakthroughs on Kosovo's independence and did not agree on new sanctions against Iran for its uranium enrichment.

Observers say that the summit was not aimed for results. It was a meeting to gauge the mind of each other and how far one may go to resolve issues. The US has to take into account Russian views because it has a lot of levers after years of weakness in world affairs.

The author is former Bangladesh ambassador to the UN, Geneva.