Bush and Putin Begin Meetings

April 4, 2008— -- BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - President Bush and Russian PresidentVladimir Putin, both short-timers in office looking to burnishtheir legacies, began their efforts Friday to look beyond theirpresidencies and put the frayed U.S.-Russia relationship on firmerfooting. Bush saw the outgoing Russian president Friday here at aNATO-Russia Council meeting amid new Washington-Moscow tensions. In all, Bush was to be face-to-face with Putin at least threetimes in three days, capping a relationship that has lasted nearlya decade. With Putin leaving office next month, their meeting at Putin'svacation home at the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on Saturdayand Sunday will likely be their last as leaders. First, Bush wrapped up his business in Bucharest by meeting withRomania's prime minister, Calin Popescu Tariceanu. Bush congratulated the Romanian leader for "hosting a verysuccessful NATO summit" and brought up a sensitive issue that israised whenever he meets with officials from Central and EasternEuropean nations - their citizens' lack of ability to travel to theUnited States without visas like people from other European nationscan. "I fully understand that contradiction," Bush said, withoutmaking promises of resolution. Bush then headed for Zagreb, Croatia, for evening events andmeetings on Saturday before he moves on Russia to see Putin. Bush went into the first of the discussions with Putin a dayafter having won NATO backing to install a missile shield in theformer Soviet eastern European satellites of Poland and the CzechRepublic over Russian objections. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called it a "breakthroughagreement" for the military alliance, and it was sugarcoated bythe announcement of a U.S. deal with the Czech Republic to host aradar site vital to the missile defense system. But Bush lost, at least for the moment, a highly public spatover opening the door to NATO membership to Ukraine and Georgia,which Putin vehemently opposes. Instead of the immediate start tothat process that he wanted, Bush got a written commitment from theallies, including Germany and France, which shared Russianconcerns, that the two nations will become NATO members at somepoint. Bush plans to continue to press the matter before his secondterm expires in January.