Cheney: Russia Is Limiting Rights

Vice President Touts Democracy, Slams Russian 'Opponents Of Reform'

(AP)  Putin will serve as host of the meeting of leaders of the world's largest industrialized nations, and some American politicians have urged President Bush not to attend.

"We will make the case, clearly and confidently, that Russia has nothing to fear and everything to gain from having strong, stable democracies on its borders," the vice president said.

Any criticism of Russia seemed restrained in contrast to the words Cheney used to describe the political situation in Belarus under President Alexander Lukashenko. He said Belarus suffers under "the last dictatorship in Europe" and that its people are denied basic freedoms.

Cheney said he had hoped to meet in Lithuania with Belarus' opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich, but he was recently jailed by authorities in Minsk. "The regime should end this injustice and free Mr. Milinkevich, along with other democracy advocates held in captivity," he said.

Much of Cheney's speech was an exhortation to the people and leaders of countries that long lived under the occupation of the Soviet Union, and a reassurance that the United States will stand with them.

"In these 15 years, the Baltics have shown how far nations can progress when they embrace freedom, serve the interests of their people and hold steadily to the path of reform," he said.

"Reform is an uneven path, but it is not chaos; indeed, the surest way to invite constant political social and economic upheaval is to reject the hard but necessary choices."

Cheney began his day at breakfast with President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, and said the United States wanted "to do everything we can to be of assistance in the days ahead."

Yushchenko responded by saying that recent "free and fair elections" for parliament and local offices marked significant progress in his country's path toward democracy.

"Probably for the first time, Ukrainian authorities were highly assessed by ... the international community, including the Americans," said Yushchenko.

Cheney had meetings scheduled throughout the day with a number of other regional leaders.

On a six-day trip through three countries, Cheney has stops later in the week in Kazakhstan and Croatia.