28/03/2008
MOSCOW, Russia -- President Vladimir Putin will participate in the NATO summit in Bucharest, where a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council is scheduled, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed on Thursday (March 27th). Additionally, Putin and his US counterpart, George W. Bush, will meet a few days after the summit at a Russian resort on the Black Sea. Topics are expected to include Iran's nuclear programme and a US-proposed anti-missile shield over parts of Eastern Europe.
In an interview Thursday with the national Romanian TV channel TVR1, Bush said he believes his meeting with Putin will result in a compromise on the shield. He also predicted the NATO summit will be a success, despite what he described as "challenges". (Nine O'clock - 28/03/08; Rompres, Mediafax, Hotnews.ro, AFP - 27/03/08)