Bush to host Russian President Putin on July 1-2

WASHINGTON, May 30 Kyodo

U.S. President George W. Bush will host Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 1-2 for wide-ranging talks expected to include both nuclear energy cooperation and the contentious issue of missile defense, the White House announced Wednesday.

Bush will host the Russian leader at the home of his father, former President George H.W. Bush, in Kennebunkport, Maine.

''The President looks forward to the visit as part of the intensive bilateral dialogue with President Putin,'' Bush spokesman Tony Snow said in a statement.

''Cooperation between the United States and Russia is important in solving regional conflicts, stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and combating terrorism and extremism,'' Snow said.

Among the items Snow said Bush and Putin will discuss are civil nuclear cooperation and the ongoing diplomatic effort to pressure Iran into abandoning its uranium enrichment program. Collaboration on the Iran issue with Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has been complicated by Moscow's reluctance to impose harsh punitive measures on Tehran.

The two leaders' talks will also focus on the issue of missile defense, Snow said. Russia has bristled at U.S. plans to deploy parts of a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, a move Washington has said is intended to counter an Iranian threat and is not meant as a challenge to Russia's missile program.

''Our position has always been that missile defense in Europe is designed to try to assist all nations, including Russia, against external threats,'' Snow said. ''That is the point we will continue to make.''

The issue remains the top irritant to U.S.-Russian relations even after recent visits to Moscow by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Bush and Putin are also expected to meet on the sidelines of the upcoming Group of Eight meeting next month in Heiligendamm, Germany.

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