Russian press enthuse over Bush meeting

Bush and Putin: Reaching across the divide

By Steve Rosenberg in Moscow

It was one of the shortest summits in recent history.

President Vladimir Putin and President George W Bush met for only 90 minutes in Slovenia. But according to the Russian press, it was an hour and a half which pulled Russia and the United States back from the brink of a new Cold War.

But they still disagree on central issues

"We have contact" is the headline in the daily Vremya Novostey. The paper praises what it describes as a chemical reaction between the two leaders.

The summit's greatest achievement, it goes on, was the establishment of human contact between Mr Putin and Mr Bush.

New era

The tabloid, Moskovskii Komsomolets, notes that after a year of strained relations between the two countries, both sides have agreed to move on.

It is a theme echoed in Izvestia. The newspaper says the summit went better than either side expected. Russia and America were no longer enemies, Izvestia writes - to some extent, they were now even allies.

But there was a note of caution too.

Most Russian papers referred to the major differences which remain between Russia and the US over questions like missile defence, and Nato expansion eastwards.

It will take more than one short summit to resolve such divisive issues.