Bush Seeks Breakthrough With Moscow

The United States said Thursday it has sent Russia new proposals on nuclear arms reduction and missile defense. It was unclear whether Moscow is prepared to negotiate with a U.S. administration on its way out of power.

The Bush administration is seeking to assuage Russian concerns about U.S. missile defense plans in Europe, an issue that has been a prime irritant in badly damaged relations. Negotiations on a range of issues between Washington and Moscow have been crippled by tensions on the U.S. missile defense plans in Europe and Russia's invasion of Georgia in August.

The other proposal involves a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as START, which expires at the end of next year.

Prospects for diplomatic breakthroughs on the two issues in the waning days of the Bush administration are poor. On Wednesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev blasted the U.S. missile defense plans and threatened to move short range nuclear missile to Russia's borders with NATO allies. His speech came just after Washington's proposal on missile defense cooperation arrived in Moscow, according to the acting undersecretary of state for arms control, John Rood.

The new offer included new ideas about allowing Russian observers at planned U.S. sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, Rood said.

In his speech, Medvedev threatened to deploy Iskander missiles to Russia's western enclave of Kaliningrad, sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania, "to neutralize, if necessary, a missile defense system."

"Some of the comments that President Medvedev made with regard to the U.S. missile defense system were unfortunate," Rood said. "We have heard some of those threats before."

Russia has vigorously opposed to the planned U.S. missile defense system, which Washington says is aimed at countering any threat from Iran's ballistic missile program.

Two weeks ago, the United States also sent a proposal on START, Rood said. He hopes to discuss the proposal on further reductions in the two countries' nuclear weapons capabilities with his Russian counterpart in the negotiations. Those talks should be in about two weeks, probably in Moscow, Rood said.

With President-elect Barack Obama set to take office on January 20, Moscow may have little incentive to help jump-start negotiations with the Bush administration.

Obama has advocated sharp reductions in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. He also has expressed some skepticism about spending levels on the U.S. missile defense system.

In his speech Wednesday, Medvedev appeared to be trying to improve Russia's bargaining position in potential talks with the Obama administration on missile defense. His wording suggested Russia would reverse the decision if the U.S. should scrap its missile defense plans.

Putin May Return To Russian Presidency

Russia's constitution will be amended by year's end to extend the presidential term to six years, lawmakers have promised - a move that could pave the way for Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin.

It would be the first change to the Russian constitution since its adoption in 1993. A six-year term could mean 12 more years as president for Putin - the current prime minister - who has not ruled out getting his old job back.

President Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin protege, had suggested raising the term from four years to six Wednesday in his first state of the nation address.

The respected business daily Vedomosti quoted an unnamed Kremlin official as saying Medvedev may even step down as early as next year to get Putin back at the helm.

"Under this scenario, Medvedev could resign early, citing changes to the constitution, and then presidential elections could take place in 2009," the paper said Thursday.

Spokesmen for Putin and Medvedev could not be reached Thursday. Vedomosti reported that Putin's spokesman denied that the term extension was designed was linked to Putin's return.

Work on the amendments has already begun in the State Duma, parliament's lower house, speaker Boris Gryzlov said Thursday.

As Russia's president for eight years, Putin had declined to amend the constitution to allow himself a third consecutive term or to extend the length of his term. Vedomosti said this unpopular task may have been given to Medvedev, a former law professor who professes deep respect for the law.

Regardless of his title, Putin has continued to wield significant power in Russia since leaving the Kremlin in May.

A constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds majority in the State Duma, the lower house, where pro-Kremlin parties dominate. It would then need to be approved by two-thirds of Russia's regional legislatures, which also would not be expected to pose any difficulties for the Kremlin.

While supporters in parliament said there was nothing undemocratic about a six-year presidential term, opposition leader Boris Nemtsov called the plan "extremely dangerous."

"It is directed at the perpetuation of Putinism," Nemtsov said at a news conference, defining Putinism as "corruption, inflation and international isolation."

Former chess champion Garry Kasparov, a prominent anti-Kremlin activist, said the move was a sign the Kremlin was afraid of Russia's increasingly emboldened opposition movement.