Bush Thanks Putin for Help in Mideast

MOSCOW — Despite contentions over Moscow’s commitment to democracy, President Bush thanked Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Sunday for help on Iran and the Middle East and said "there’s a lot we can do together."

The two leaders put an upbeat cast on talks at Putin’s dacha at a walled compound in a birch forest 25 miles west of Moscow. The Russian leader even let Bush drive his white Volga sedan around a driveway before heading to dinner with their wives.

"I’m having so much fun. We’re going for another lap," Bush said.

The two leaders ignored reporters’ questions and kept their real discussions private, so there was no repeat of the contentious debate that flared publicly at a February news conference when they disagreed about Moscow’s quashing of dissent and exertion of control in the country.

"Russia’s a great nation and I’m looking forward to working together on big problems," Bush said. "And I want to thank you for your help on Iran and the Middle East and there’s a lot we can do together."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who briefed reporters on the talks, said Bush and Putin found wide agreement on the Middle East, support for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and a joint determination to fight terrorism.

"They talked about the need that one cannot flirt with terrorism or terrorists," Rice said. "I think that was really the essential issue here because they’re very concerned about the Palestinian situation."

She said the countries would consult on the training of Palestinian security forces.

Bush and Putin also discussed Iraq, North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran, among other issues.

Russia is building a nuclear reactor in the Iranian city of Bushehr and the United States fears this could held Tehran develop nuclear weapons. However, U.S. officials accept for now Russian assurances that no enrichment or reprocessing will take place, and that any spent fuel rods will be returned to Russia.

Rice said the two leaders also discussed a recent speech by Putin in which he talked about internal reforms in Russia and said the demise of the Soviet Union was "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century."

Rice said the candid talk between Bush and Putin underscored that theirs is a relationship "where they can talk about any subject."

"For the two presidents, there are no forbidden topics," added Lavrov.

Before his arrival in the Russian capital, Bush celebrated Nazi Germany’s defeat and the end of World War II 60 years ago at an American cemetery in Margraten in the Netherlands, emphasizing the themes of democracy and freedom.

"The world’s tyrants learned a lesson: There is no power like the power of freedom and no soldier as strong as a soldier who fights for that freedom," Bush told a crowd of thousands, including many white-haired war veterans who wore plastic rain ponchos on a raw spring morning.

"On this day we celebrate the victory they won," Bush said, "and we recommit ourselves to the great truth that they defended: that freedom is the birthright of all mankind."

Relations between Bush and Putin have soured of late amid U.S. unhappiness with Russian missile sales to Syria and crackdowns on business and Moscow’s complaints of American meddling in its traditional sphere of influence.

Even before Bush’s arrival, Putin appeared increasingly irritated at Bush’s criticism of Russia’s treatment of its former republics and his push for democracy along Russia’s borders. Bush said at an earlier stop in Latvia that Russia should acknowledge the Soviet Union’s domination of Central and Eastern Europe and its harsh occupation of the Baltic country.

"This is not an issue of lecturing Russia," Rice told reporters as Air Force One was en route. "It is that the United States and Russia have a deep and broad relationship. We’d like it to get deeper and broader. And the issue of common values and how Russia’s democracy progresses is one of the issues on the agenda, an important issue on the agenda."

She took issue with Putin’s assertion regarding the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"I’m not going to try to second guess President Putin on this," Rice said. "I do know it was traumatic for many people to see the Soviet Union collapse. That’s not surprising. Quite clearly the fall of the Soviet Union has led to some very good things including democracies throughout Eastern Europe and Central Europe and free Baltic states."

The United States has expressed repeated concern that Putin is quashing dissent and consolidating power.

Putin said in an American television interview that the United States should question its own democratic ways before looking for problems with Russia’s. Putin also told CBS’ "60 Minutes" that the United States shouldn’t try to export its democracy, as it is trying to do in Iraq. The Russian leader pointed to what he believes are drawbacks to America’s own brand of democracy, including the Electoral College system.

The Russian leader also has rebuffed calls from Bush and others for an apology for the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

In his remarks Saturday in Latvia, Bush said Putin should not fear the growth of democracy on Russia’s borders and that "no good purpose is served by stirring up fears and exploiting old rivalries in this region."

Moscow has not disguised its unhappiness that Bush’s four-nation trip was planned to bracket his stop in Russia with visits to two former Soviet republics, Latvia and Georgia.

Bush on Monday will join Putin and dozens of world leaders at a Red Square parade celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. Bush has no scheduled public remarks during his 24-hour stay in Moscow.