THE US/RUSSIA: President Bush yesterday committed the US to a new era of unprecedented partnership with Russia. He and President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty scrapping two-thirds of their long-range nuclear warheads and delivered a joint declaration redefining relations between the two countries.
Amid the splendour of the Kremlin's St Andrew's Hall, the two leaders put on a performance that smacked of male bonding and agreed a package of joint endeavours, from co-operation on missile defence to combating terrorism to developing Russia's vast oil and gas reserves.
"This sets the stage for incredible co-operation that we've never had before between our countries," said Mr Bush, after both presidents signed the strategic offensive reductions treaty that pledges the US and Russia to cut their strategic nuclear warheads to a maximum of 2,200 from current levels of 6,000 by 2012.
Mr Putin said the US and Russia were now "talking a common language".
He added: "Together we are counteracting global threats and challenges and we're going to form a stable world order in the interests of our peoples and our countries."
Yesterday's summit was the fifth such meeting between the two leaders in less than a year and by far the most productive. The chemistry between the two men is clearly strong and Mr Bush went out of his way to pay tribute repeatedly to the Russian president's "leadership and vision."
As the two men signed the arms cuts treaty and shook hands, Mr Putin put his arm around Mr Bush's shoulders.
The joint declaration said: "The era in which the US and Russia saw each other as an enemy or strategic threat has ended. The US and Russia are already acting as partners and friends in meeting the challenges of the 21st century."
The sole bone of contention yesterday was US objections to Russian links to Iran's nuclear energy and missile development programmes.
But Mr Putin robustly defended the Russian policy, which he insisted contained no danger of nuclear proliferation.
Mr Bush told a Kremlin press conference that he had raised the Iranian issue with Mr Putin. "We spoke very frankly and honestly about the need to make sure that a non-transparent government run by radical clerics doesn't get their hands on weapons of mass destruction . . . He gave me some assurances that I think will be very comforting."
Mr Putin then offered little comfort to the Americans, attacking the US project of building a nuclear power plant for North Korea, voicing concern at missile programmes in Taiwan, and maintaining that major Western companies were involved in Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile projects.
With both sides agreeing that action to combat proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a central element of the new partnership, Washington is convinced that the biggest danger is Iran and that Russia is its main facilitator.
Both sides agreed to increase their co-operation on the war in Afghanistan and to upgrade a joint committee on Afghanistan to one dedicated to combating terrorism more broadly.
As well as signing the arms cuts treaty, they also mapped out a framework for co-operating on the US's plans for a national missile shield.