Putin Says Deal With Bush "Not a Breakthrough"

"We confirmed our commitment to the 1972 ABM pact." - Putin

(7/23/01) Despite the White House spinmeisters and right-wing press contentions that Dubya has somehow become a wily diplomat, the Russian president took something different away from their meetings.  Maybe something got lost in the translation from Bushese to English.

Putin is quoted as saying "There has been no principal breakthrough, indeed."  He went on to say that he and Bush had not agreed to modifications to the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, which bans the development of new missile systems.  "We confirmed our commitment to the 1972 ABM pact", Putin said.  Putin is already on record stating that if the US develops a Star Wars system,  Russia is ready to tear up all the previous treaties and arm their missles with multiple warheads, which would easily defeat any system the US could build.

What does seem clear is that both sides appear ready to discuss reduction of nuclear stockpiles.  This would be particularly useful to the Russians, who have limited funds to maintain their aging nuclear weapons.  How the linking of Star Wars to weapons reduction is going to work is puzzling to strategists on both sides.  A commentator on NPR's All Things Considered yesterday suggested that Putin and Bush are "making this up as they go along."  (MSNBC)