Big chill, again?

Praising the progress Eastern European countries have made toward democracy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, he said Russia has a choice to make when it comes to reform, and said that in many areas, “from religion and the news media to advocacy groups and political parties, the government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of the people”.

Russia rattled nerves across Europe last winter when the state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom cut off supplies of natural gas to Ukraine. An agreement eventually ended the impasse, but it raised questions of Russia’s dependability as a supplier of energy.

The US vice-president, however, blended his criticism of Putin with a reaffirmation of President Bush’s decision to attend this summer’s Group of 8 summit meeting in Russia. Putin will serve as host of the meeting of leaders of the world’s largest industrialised nations, and some American politicians have urged President Bush not to attend. The Bush administration for the most part has tried to play down, at least publicly, any strong differences with Putin.