Bush Downplays Rift With Moscow on Overture to Ukraine

President Bush on Friday sought to minimize the danger of a rupture in relations with Moscow over his Administration’s planned recognition of an independent Ukraine.

“We’re all right,” Bush insisted during a short shopping trip from his weekend retreat at Camp David, Md. “There’s not going to be a big breach here.”

The attempt by Bush to play down the potential for a U.S.-Soviet rift came a day after Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev issued an icy statement expressing dismay at disclosures that Washington intends to move “expeditiously” toward recognizing the Ukraine, if, as expected, its voters endorse independence in a referendum Sunday.

Gorbachev said it was “surprising” that the U.S. position was disclosed before the referendum occurred, and other Soviet officials warned that the move could hasten the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Bush, answering questions from reporters in a shopping mall in Frederick, Md., said there is “more understanding” between the United States and the Soviet Union on the issue than is apparent in news accounts.

But another Administration official said the United States--in adopting a position that could undermine Gorbachev--had steeled itself for the ferocity of the Soviet reaction. “That would be expected,” the official said.

Administration officials have stressed that formal U.S. recognition of the Ukraine is not likely to be immediate and that its timing will depend on the willingness of Ukrainian leaders to fulfill pledges on nuclear weapons security and other matters.

Nevertheless, Bush’s willingness to reach out to the breakaway Ukraine marked a sharp departure from a U.S. policy that for months had sought to prop up Gorbachev and given tacit endorsement to his efforts to halt the tide of Soviet disintegration.

The remarks by Bush on his shopping tour Friday left no doubt that the Administration remains hopeful of maintaining a close partnership with Gorbachev, its most loyal and longstanding ally within the Soviet Union.