Differences Cool Bush-Putin Relationship

President George W. Bush fishes with his daughter Barbara Sunday, July 1, 2007 near Kennebunkport, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty - AP)

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine -- U.S. relations with Russia are on simmer, so President Bush's meeting Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin will be judged on how respectfully the two leaders agree to disagree.

They have different views on democracy and missile defense, NATO expansion into Russia's backyard and independence for Kosovo. They both want to stymie Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions, but they don't see eye-to-eye on whether Iranian missiles currently pose a threat.

It was all handshakes, smiles and kisses when Putin arrived at the Bush family estate that overlooks the rocky Atlantic seacoast. Putin gave pecks on the cheeks to first lady Laura Bush and the president's mother, Barbara Bush, and handed them bouquets of flowers. Before disappearing from public view, Putin was seen aboard former President George H.W. Bush's speedboat, zooming along the coastline, grinning and waving to photographers.

There was "family style dialogue" about coming elections in both countries as they dined on lobster and marinated swordfish, but the two leaders didn't have in-depth talks about policy differences, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday night.

He denied any tense discussions.

"Definitely not," Peskov said. "We could not have predicted the warmness and hospitality from President Bush. The Russian president was very much satisfied with that."

But for all the pleasantries and talk about patching up the Bush-Putin friendship and forging fresh relations with Russia as it transitions from its communist past, the rhetoric coming out of the Kremlin of late seems mired in the Cold War.

Buoyed by a strong economy, Putin has become more assertive on the international stage. At home, he's stoked nationalism, encouraging Russians who want their country to be viewed with respect _ as a powerful player, not a world power wannabe. In short, Putin feels he's gotten the brush-off from Bush.

"It's vital that this relationship be doctored a bit," said Sarah Mendelson, Russia policy expert and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In February, Putin blasted the United States, saying it had "overstepped its national borders" in every way. And Putin has taken a tough stance against a U.S. missile system planned for Europe, even threatening to reposition Russian rockets in retaliation for an American-engineered missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Last month, Putin surprised Bush in Germany by proposing the shared use of a Russia-rented early warning radar in Azerbaijan as a substitute for radar and interceptors the United States wants to place in Poland and the Czech Republic. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the United States will not embrace the facility in Azerbaijan as a substitute, but Peskov says Putin wants to hear that from Bush himself at Kennebunkport.

Putin has repeatedly rejected U.S. assurances that the planned missile defense installations pose no danger to Russia and are meant to counter a potential threat from other nations, such as Iran.