Vladimir Putin's performance on the 43-rd International conference on the questions of safety in Munich during which the Russian president panned the USA for their foreign policy, is widely commented in the European and American press. While transatlantic newspapers name Putin's speech "the insult of Washington", Europeans believe that the statement of the Russian leader can be named the beginning of new "cold war".
The American newspaper "The International Herald Tribune" called performance of the president of Russia in Munich "offensive for the USA".
"The Times" compares Putin’s criticism with the performance of Nikita Khruschev 46 years ago. "On the international meetings of such level there were no similar chilling critical performances of the Russian management since the moment when Nikita Khruschev knocked the shoe on a tribune of the United Nations in 1960", - London edition marks.
"The Financial Times" considers that by his performance in Germany Putin "threw down a gage to the West". "Speech of the Russian president at the Munich annual conference on safety shocked the most part of the audience including Minister of Defence of the USA Robert Gates and the republican candidate into president John Makkejn, - London edition writes.
- For pity’s sake! What confrontation with the West, what "cold war" you are talking about, - editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk Anatoly Baranov was amazed. - Budgetary charges of Russia on national defense are 25 times less, than in the USA. Plus behind the USA’s back there are countries of NATO strengthened by former allies of the USSR under the Warsaw pact and even three former Soviet republics. And what does Russia have? We have lost the last ally - Belarus, our Strategic nuclear forces are already at a level of England or France, we have none new military development in military-industrial complex and in edition all these are “strengthened” by the Minister of Defense with philological deviation.
"There’s no talking about opposition with the West in military or political aspect with Putin’s Russia and our "supreme commander in chief" perfectly understands it. Today we observe not the beginning of "cold war" but absolutely different thing - Putin "hands in" "friend Bush" to his opponents from Democratic party of the USA counting on "the third term" or on loyalty of new "Washington’s regional committee" to his possible successor. He does it, naturally, with "lieutenant colonel’s grace" but, it should be mentioned, in time, Anatoly Baranov thinks.
Not by chance officials of the USA (i.e. republicans) tried to soften application of Vladimir Putin by their comments. "Minister of Defence of the USA Robert Gates took maximum pains so that his performance sounded in softening tone. Gates recognized mistakes of the USA for the last some years. As he said, the United States of America within the whole century had in the world reputation of "forces of the good". However, according to his recognition, the part of this capital was lost during the last years and the United States of America has to work on reconstruction of own reputation”, - “The Times” comments reaction to the speech of the Russian leader.
This theme is being continued by the American newspaper "The Washington Post" in the article about reaction of administration of George Bush on Putin's performance. According to it, last two days the chief of the Pentagon Robert Gates "undertakes all efforts to smooth sharpness of criticism of the Russian leader into address of the USA". Being in Pakistan where Minister of Defence of the USA arrived from Germany, Gates emphasized one more time that he didn’t want new cold war and intensity with Russia. Besides Moscow and Washington have common enemies and problems which could be solved only in partnership.
It is necessary to clear out only - who are the partners? Putin helps democrats to dring down republicans having accused the last in deterioration of relations with Russia - good relations with Putin were one of the trumps in a pack of republicans. And future administration of democrats will help Putin and his "Petersburg clan" to look fighters with the American imperialism during pre-election period in Russia. That is what can be refered to as partnership.
