AP: Bush: "Russia's new president is 'smart guy'" - by Deb Riechmann
Bush: "Russia's new president is 'smart guy'" - by Deb Riechmann
Like former Russian President Vladimir Putin, still the top powerbroker in Moscow, Medvedev remains critical of the West, in particular the United States. He has shown no sign of softening opposition to U.S. plans for missile defense facilities in Europe or to NATO's promise to eventually invite Georgia and Ukraine in. Personal relations between the two appear warm, but Bush didn't go as far as to repeat what he said about Putin when he first met him in June 2001. Then, Bush said he looked into Putin's eyes and "was able to get a sense of his soul".
"I'm not going to sit here and psychoanalyze the man, but I will tell you that he's very comfortable, he's confident, and that I believe that when he tells me something, he means it," Bush said. The two, however, are at opposite ends of their political lives. Bush is on his way out and Medvedev just took office in May. This is Bush's eighth and final G-8. This is Medvedev's freshman year at the summit. Note EU-Digest: A friendly statement by Mr. Bush about Mr. Medvedev, but nobody seems to care what Bush his opinion is as he prepares to leave office, which actually could also be a dangerous situation?
