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RUSSIA: Putin to Stand Firm at G8 Summit

Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW, Jun 7 2007 (IPS) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to reaffirm his disagreement with Washington’s view of Russian democracy, reiterate objections to the proposed U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe and give more meaningful explanations on the rules of the international community at the Group of Eight (G8) summit under way in Germany this week, analysts say.

Russia is having a hard time “making the United States explicitly understand and respect its sovereignty. I don’t think anybody in this country is still thinking of another Cold War or of starting any form of political and military confrontation,” Konstantin Yanovsky, analyst with the Institute of Economic Transition, told IPS.

“I think that decisions taken by G8 countries should necessarily conform to accepted rules and not supersede the requirements of the international community. There is absolutely no point to talk about derailment of democracy in a country that has emerged from a Soviet system.”

“As the political climate shows, one aspect is building a good relationship with a strong ability to discuss frankly whatever disagreements arise, without abandoning standard principles or values,” Yanovsky said.

President Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush are meeting at the three-day G8 summit this week in the German Baltic resort of Heiligendamm, along with the other six leaders of the club of industrialised nations. It will be the eighth and the last G8 summit for Putin, whose term in office comes to an end early next year.

At a conference in Prague earlier this week, hosted by anti-communist activists from the Soviet era, Bush said: “In Russia, reforms that once promised to empower citizens have been derailed, with troubling implications for democratic development.”

Relations between Washington and Moscow have taken a downturn in recent months, in particular over U.S. plans to deploy elements of its missile shield elements in Central Europe, allegedly to counter a potential threat from Iran and North Korea.

Russia has responded angrily to the U.S. plans, which include the deployment of interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic, calling them a threat to its security. The radar base, although supported by Czech leadership, is unpopular with the Czech population.

Speaking at a news conference before heading to Heiligendamm, President Putin said the missile shield would be part of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and warned that Russia could be forced to aim its nuclear weapons at Europe.

“Throughout history, interests have always been the main organising principle for relations between states and on the international arena. And the more civilised these relations become, the clearer it is that one’s own interests must be balanced against the interests of other countries. And one must be able to find compromises to resolve the most difficult problems and issues,” Putin said.

One of the major difficulties today, he said, is that certain members of the international community are absolutely convinced that their opinion is the correct one, and of course, “this is hardly conducive to creating the trusting atmosphere that I believe is crucial for finding more than simply mutually acceptable solutions, for finding optimal solutions.”

However, we also think that we should not dramatise anything unnecessarily, he stressed.

Putin said his administration expresses opinions openly, honestly and forthrightly, but this does not imply that Russia is looking for confrontation.

“Moreover, I am deeply convinced that if we were able to reinstate honest discussion and the capacity to find compromises in the international arena then everyone would benefit. And I am convinced that certain crises that face the international community today would not exist and would not have had such a dire impact on the internal political situation in certain countries,” he said.

Events in Iraq would not be such a headache for the United States, he said, noting that it is the most vivid, sharpest example but, nevertheless, he would like people to understand him.

“And as you recall, we were opposed to military action in Iraq. We now consider that had we confronted the problems that faced us at the time with other means then the result would have been – in my opinion – still better than what we have today”, Putin said, adding that for this reason Russia does not want confrontation, but rather dialogue. However, that dialogue must acknowledge the equality of both parties’ interests.

“We ourselves did not ask to join the G8. It was offered to us and we are delighted to be there. Russia, as you know, is changing, and changing very rapidly. Measured in economic terms we are now ninth in the world and by some indicators have already overtaken certain G8 countries,” he said.

If someone wants to turn the G8 into an exclusive club for a few members who will try to resolve humanity’s problems among themselves, no good will come of it, Putin said.

After all, Russia is one of the biggest nuclear powers and also one of the founding members of the United Nations and a permanent member of the Security Council, he added.

“Let us not be hypocritical about democratic freedoms and human rights. But let us not forget that other countries in the G8 have not experienced the dramatic transformations that the Russia has undergone. They have not experienced a civil war, which we, in fact, had in the Caucasus. And yet we have preserved many of the so-called common values even better than some other G8 countries,” Putin said.

Russia has advocated a multipolar world and believes that there should be diversity and respect for the interests of the overwhelming majority of the international community. We must create these rules and learn to respect these rules, he advised.

The agreement in May between Russia and the West to tone down the rhetoric proved short-lived. Although both Putin and the Russian elite claim their country is democratic and a member of the civilised world, this kind of rhetoric merely serves to increase international distrust toward Russia and further isolate the country, giving it less leverage than it would like in international affairs.

“This kind of approach, however, is obviously a zero-sum game, which the West is unlikely to play, and Putin’s threat unleashed a wave of international condemnation from Europe, Russia’s main trading partner, and the United States,” says Ian Pryde, head of Eurasia Strategy and Communications, a consulting firm in Moscow.

He said in contrast to Bush, however, Putin is bright, articulate and extremely well-briefed, but he is also forthright, irascible and “takes no prisoners.” In other words, this was not the kind of lapse that Bush has been known to make. Contrary to the view of the more pro-U.S. Western media, however, some of Putin’s claims are valid, according to Pryde.

Time for a new approach in Russia’s foreign policy, he said. Unfortunately, “Russia’s new-found and much vaunted role as energy superpower has led it to overreach itself somewhat. Moscow has still to understand the concept of interdependence – ‘everything is connected to everything else’.”