Bush Speech Chides Russia

Bush's admonition to Moscow came during the keynote address of his four-day, fence-mending trip to Europe, in which he called for "a new era of transatlantic unity." Although mostly conciliatory, the president's half-hour speech used strong language to lay out his foreign policy priorities, including a plan to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to promote democracy in the Middle East.

Bush chided allies Saudi Arabia and Egypt, saying that the U.S. and Europe "expect higher standards" from them on democratic rule. He also renewed his calls for Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and for Iran to abandon what Washington says is a nuclear weapons program.

The president's strong rhetoric on Russia came as a surprise because excerpts of his speech released by the White House on Sunday night did not include criticism of Moscow.

Bush has come under rising pressure from key U.S. lawmakers to adopt a tougher stance toward the Kremlin because of Russian President Vladimir V. Putin's increasingly authoritarian grip on the country's political and economic sectors.

Putin has moved to centralize power by imposing more control over the broadcast media, reining in influential businessmen and promoting a plan to replace elected regional governors with Kremlin appointees.

Last week, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) introduced a resolution calling on Bush to work on suspending Russia's membership in the Group of 8 leading industrial nations until Putin reverses course. Russia is scheduled to host the G-8 summit in 2006.

In his speech, Bush did not mention the G-8, but said the U.S. had supported Russia's membership in the World Trade Organization "because meeting WTO standards will strengthen the gains in freedom and prosperity in that country."

The president added: "Yet, for Russia to make progress as a European nation, the Russian government must renew a commitment to democracy and the rule of law. We recognize that reform will not happen overnight. We must always remind Russia, however, that our alliance stands for a free press, a vital opposition, the sharing of power and rule of law. And the United States and all European countries should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia."