Today, Vladimir Putin needs the support of George Bush more than President Bush needed his support at the initial stage of the operation in Iraq.
The two presidents will discuss a compromise between the Russian government and "moderate Chechen warlords." For the past year, Mr. Putin's adversaries, including in the US, have used the media to fan a full-scale scandal over the situation in Chechnya.
The transfer of the US strategy of regime change to the CIS is a painful issue. The events in Ukraine are a vivid example of the civilian version of that policy, and "orange" methods are being widely applied in countries adjacent to Russia. This is an important and painful issue for the Kremlin. There are no reasons to assume that Moscow will not consider measures to protect its interests in these countries.
Oil and gas reserves in Greater Central Asia, from the Caspian Sea to China, worry the Americans more than the Russian energy resources. A clash of Russian and American interests there would be particularly dangerous given NATO's tendency to reach out into the Eurasian region. Russian presence in that part of the world does not suit Washington, but the US administration is aware of the impossibility and dangers of trying to push it out.
And lastly, the two leaders will most probably discuss the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea. The US is not risking anything in Iran - just as it did not risk anything in Iraq. It is the neighboring countries that will face the risks. Russia has solid reasons to try to prevent a US attack against Iran, because the country istoo close to Russia's borders. This will put Mr. Putin and Mr. Bush at loggerheads over Iran.
