ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, May 31 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in Russia's former imperial capital of St. Petersburg Saturday evening ahead of a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, joining more than 40 world leaders who had gathered there for the city's 300th anniversary.
With all sides seeking to put past differences over the Iraq war behind them, both Putin and Bush made encouraging statements and called for greater cooperation.
In an interview with Russia's Rossiya television network made on the eve of his visit, Bush stressed that he would continue to "deal with Vladimir Putin leader to leader," overlooking the past differences the two men had over Iraq.
"I firmly believe that if we can establish trust between each other, others in our administration begin to trust each other more," Bush said. "I think the most important aspect of this meeting with Vladimir Putin is that we see that even though there was some disagreement over Iraq, we very much want to work together for the good of our countries and for the world."
For his part, Putin publicly thanked Bush for returning to the United Nations to discuss post-war management of Iraq.
"Many countries made compromises ... but I would like to note that the United States moved (closer to the Russian position) and would like to specially thank the work done by President Bush," Putin said, setting the tone for Sunday's Russia-U.S. summit.
Putin also praised British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's chief ally on Iraq, for his key negotiating role as he attempted to mediate an end to the rift between the United States-Britain and the French-German-Russian alliance at the U.N. Security Council.
But while Bush seems intent on moving ahead with the "strategic relationship" with Russia, an important ally in the fight against international terrorism in Afghanistan and a potential mediator in the crisis with North Korea, thorny subjects such as Russia's continuing nuclear cooperation with Iran will feature prominently when the two leaders sit down for two hours of hard talk.
Bush's late Saturday arrival in St. Petersburg, Putin's hometown which is holding a massive three-day birthday party, appeared timed to bring personal contact with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder -- who had arrived a day earlier -- to a minimum, despite the rhetoric on all sides that Washington, Paris and Berlin intend to patch things up after the falling out over Iraq.
Chirac, who is to host Bush at the G-8 summit in Evian, France, later Sunday, told reporters in St. Petersburg that he welcomed the opportunity to hold face-to-face talks with the U.S. president, and Bush told French television France 3 he was also looking forward to the meeting, the first since the Paris-Washington rift over Iraq.
While Bush's relationship with his allies remains complex, Putin drove home the message of Russian integration with Europe as he sat down with 25 leaders representing current and future member states of the European Union, calling for closer cooperation in all fields.
In the first gathering of this scale since the end of the war in Iraq, the European Union leaders reiterated a need for reconciliation and unity in a post-war environment.
Putin used the opportunity to press forward his idea for a greater Europe and called on EU states to allow visa-free travel for Russians across the continent. European leaders responded by claiming concerns over illegal immigration, drug trafficking and security threats would make such a move impossible for the time being.
European Commission President Romano Prodi did claim the EU and Russia have "a very strong partnership," saying the relationship was as close as "vodka and caviar."
The E.U. leaders largely ignored concerns raised by human rights organizations over the situation in the separatist republic of Chechnya, as both Blair and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis -- who holds the EU's rotating presidency -- preferred to praise Putin for holding a March referendum in the territory, claiming it was an "important step" toward a political resolution of the crisis.
"Russia is absolutely right in trying to solve (the Chechen conflict) through political dialogue," Blair said, while Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said Russia's move toward a political resolution in Chechnya is "the right and the only path."
Before the Russia-EU summit opened, Putin told his guests of the $300 million restoration work that had transformed the venue of the summit -- the Konstantinovsky Palace -- from an abandoned, crumbling building it was two years ago into the majestic palace it had once been when Russia was an empire ruled by the czars.
As the Russia-EU summit went on the new Chinese president, Hu Jintao, held separate bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Diplomatic sources described the discussions were "frank" and "useful." The Chinese leader had earlier met Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and is due to attend the G-8 summit in Evian, France as an observer on the invitation of Chirac.
Hu, making his first foreign trip since his appointment as Chinese president, discussed the continuing North Korean nuclear crisis and the SARS pneumonia epidemic that has spread across the globe from southern China.
The EU leaders were joined by the leaders of 11 former Soviet states, the leaders of China, Japan, India, Canada and other states in a tour of the Hermitage Museum, and attended an open-air concert featuring Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, before attending the official unveiling of the restored Amber Room at the Catherine Palace. The chamber, consisting of glittering pieces of amber covering the walls from floor to ceiling, had been presented to Czar Peter the Great in 1716 by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm I, but was dismantled and carted away to an unknown destination by Nazi troops during World War II, when the German army occupied the palace in 1941.
Germany donated $3.5 million to the restoration project, which took 6 tons of the stone to restore the chamber to its former glory.
As the city's tercentenary festivities continued for a second day, the world leaders were treated to a water show featuring tall-masted sailboats. The VIP guests then boarded hydrofoils that took them out to the Gulf of Finland and to another imperial palace in Peterhof, famous for its cascade of fountains, where Bush was to join them for a state dinner hosted by Putin.
At one point, Blair and Chirac -- once diplomatic foes split by the Iraq crisis -- were seen rubbing shoulders as they viewed Russia's imperial palaces. Both leaders were seated next to each other for Friday night's gala performance at the Mariinsky Theater in an act of Russian bridge making.
Putin and his festival planners left unclear the seating arrangements at Saturday's state dinner, and the media was left to guessing who the U.S. president may be seated next to -- perhaps someone he has not talked to in a while?
A German official told United Press International that Bush had approached Schroeder shortly before the dinner, offering his hand in greeting and holding the first face-to-face conversation with the German chancellor since the Iraq war in a bid at reconciliation. But he added Bush and Schroeder were placed apart at the dinner table. Perhaps the shattered U.S.-German relationship needs more time to heal.
