As Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the White House yesterday, he and President Bush were on the cusp of resolving a monumental question: whether Russia would allow the United States to proceed with a missile defense system without abrogating the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
But when the two leaders faced the cameras in a joint news conference from the East Room, lofty ideas about the post-Cold War world order, which dominated Russian-American relations for much of the year, were suddenly less pressing than the day's developments in Kabul.
Unable to agree so far on a change in the ABM Treaty to allow U.S. missile defense tests, and distracted by the war, the presidents focused on other matters. Bush spoke of his ranch in Texas. Putin spoke of the white nights in St. Petersburg. The two men commented on the Northern Alliance, the Middle East, NATO, drug trafficking, even the Jackson-Vanik law linking human rights and trade. They brushed quickly past the ABM accord. Reporters from both countries were willing accomplices: Four of the six questions were about Afghanistan.
The highlight of the joint appearance in the East Room came when a Russian questioner asked Bush whether he had gone too far in asking media outlets not to run Osama bin Laden's full statements. It was, undoubtedly, the first time a Russian journalist expressed concern to an American president about media freedoms in the United States.
"I've been trying to tame our press corps ever since I got into politics, and I've failed miserably," Bush said, laughing at his own joke. "They get to express their opinions -- sometimes in the form of news -- any way they want to." The American side laughed heartily. The Russians did not even grin.
Putin, an old KGB hand, had no trouble with such restrictions. "Today, giving a rostrum to international terrorists would be equal to giving newspapers of the Second World War times an opportunity to print Doctor Goebbels's articles."
The pattern repeated itself throughout the session: the Russian president outdoing the American president in defending U.S. actions in the war. Asked about allegations of Northern Alliance excesses as the group took the city of Kabul, Bush replied mildly about "the need for us to work with our Northern Alliance friends to treat people with respect."
Putin, responding to the same question, fiercely demanded proof of wrongdoing by the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance and chided the press corps to "pay attention" to the Taliban instead. "We tend to forget now the destruction of the cultural heritage of humankind," he said. "We tend to forget now the atrocities by Taliban."
It became apparent early in the morning that missiles and the ABM Treaty were not going to be the most pressing matters of the day. A military honor guard lined the White House driveway as Putin's limousine -- transported from Russia -- entered the grounds. But at the White House morning briefing, there was barely a mention of Russia or its leader. The topics were petroleum reserves, aviation security and Afghanistan.
Putin, who wants to maintain the ABM Treaty that Bush wants to replace, seemed more than pleased to discuss terrorism instead. Prodded by a Russian reporter about the dangers of American influence in Central Asia, Putin retorted: "I am more concerned with the presence of the terrorist training camps in the northern Afghanistan."
Though unable to reach agreement on missile defense for now, both leaders professed themselves unbothered. "We're transforming our relationship," Bush said, "from one of hostility and suspicion to one based on cooperation and trust."
And art. Putin's visit to the White House lasted four hours, including lunch in the Blue Room -- and an extensive cultural tour. "I saw almost every picture hanging on the wall of this great building," Putin said.
The White House, for the record, has 450 pieces of art.