Bush Plans to Prod Putin, Refresh Bond

On the eve of a trip that will include his 12th meeting with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, President Bush said Friday that he intended to “reinvigorate” a relationship that had grown tense in recent months and that he planned to back up the overture with a springtime visit to Moscow.

Speaking to the Itar-Tass news agency during a brief White House interview as he prepared for his first European trip since his reelection, Bush avoided the points of contention that dominated his November encounter with Putin in Chile: the rollback of democratic reforms in Russia and Putin’s alleged attempts to influence former Soviet republics.

Bush and Putin are scheduled to confer next week after Bush’s meetings with leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

He said Friday that his personal relationship with the Russian leader remained warm, and he blamed his own reelection campaign for any chill.

“I think this relationship can be invigorated,” Bush said. “The campaign came, and in American public life ... you kind of shut down when the campaign comes.”

Still, Bush told a Slovak journalist in another interview Friday that he intended to bring up his concerns, however delicately. He said his good rapport with Putin would give him the chance to privately ask the Russian leader about his decisions.

“I mean, he’s done some things that have concerned people,” Bush said. “I want him to be able to have a chance to say he’s done it for this reason ... so I can explain to him as best I can, in a friendly way, of course, that Western values are ... based upon transparency and rule of law, the right for the people to express themselves, checks and balances in government.”

Bush made his comments as he sat for interviews with several European news organizations, including from France, Belgium and Germany.

In each case, Bush offered friendly words that White House officials hoped would foreshadow an improvement in ties, which have been strained largely by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

In his interview with Itar-Tass, Bush said he intended to see Putin again in May in Moscow, where world leaders will gather to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

One theme of Friday’s interviews was Bush’s insistence that the U.S. wants diplomacy to work in persuading Iran to curb its nuclear program.

Bush, who remains unpopular in Western Europe in the aftermath of the invasion, indicated that he would try to change his image.

But he also said he hoped to enjoy the trip. He reminisced with a Belgian journalist about a previous visit.

“I remember going to the chocolate shop and -- which was not diplomacy, it was pure commercialism on my part,” he said. “But it was, it was kind of a sweet reminder of our trip there, and I’m just confident that the trip will be equally as good this time.”