Disarmament Diplomacy

Documents & Sources

Bush-Putin Discussions

• Bush-Putin Statement, Genoa, July 22
• Bush-Putin Press Conference
• Briefing by US National Security Advisor, followed by Russian response
• Interview with Russian Foreign Minister

Bush-Putin Statement, Genoa, July 22

'Joint Statement by US President George W. Bush and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir V. Putin on Upcoming Consultations on Strategic Issues, July 22, 2001'; The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, July 22.

"We agreed that major changes in the world require concrete discussions of both offensive and defensive systems. We already have some strong and tangible points of agreement. We will shortly begin intensive consultations on the interrelated subjects of offensive and defensive systems."

Bush-Putin Press Conference

'Press Conference by President Bush and President Putin, Genoa, Italy, July 22, 2001,' The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, July 22.

"President Putin: 'Naturally, we discussed the issue of strategic stability. There we spent a lot of time. We talked in great detail. We've reached a most important accord, agreement on the beginning and the schedule for consultations. In Ljubljana [in June], we talked about setting up a working group, or series of working groups. As you know, in Moscow here, in a few days, Condoleezza Rice will come to visit us and we will work out finally the group structure within the overall interagency structure of foreign ministry, defense ministry and others. I have to say that to some extent what was unexpected both for me, and I think for President Bush, as well, was the understanding that was reached today between us on the issue that the offensive arms and issue of defensive arms will be discussed as a set. We're going to be talking about the mutual striving toward cutting back significantly offensive arms. We're not really ready at this time to talk about the threshold limits or the numbers themselves. But a joint striving exists and the specialists will get together and they'll make some recommendations. ... I think they're going to make a lot of progress and be quite successful.'

President Bush: '... We're young leaders who are interested in forging a more peaceful world. And along these lines, as the President said, that we're going to have open and honest dialogue about defensive systems, as well as reduction of offensive systems. The two go hand-in-hand in order to set up a new strategic framework for peace. And along these lines, as the President mentioned, my National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, will be visiting in Moscow, the purpose of which is to lay out a specific timetable of discussions between our defense ministers and our foreign ministers. So as we can continue progress to find common ground...to make the world more peaceful, both of us want to seize the moment and lead. And I appreciate this attitude so very much with President Putin.'

Question: '... How do you see the biggest difficulties in this dialogue? What are the principal differences between the two countries? And how do you see overcoming these differences?'

President Putin: 'As far as the ABM Treaty and the issues of offensive arms, I've already said we've come to the conclusion that two of these issues have to be discussed as a set, as one set. This is not [in] doubt whatsoever; one and the other are very closely tied. Neither one, nor the other side should feel it's somehow threatened or constrained. I felt and continue to feel that...we have to maintain a balance, thanks to which mankind could live in an environment of stability and relative peace. This is an issue of principle. And that's first. Second, we share the position of the US President on the need to have large cuts in offensive arms... And together, we're going to move forward in this direction, substantially changing the situation in the world, making it better throughout the whole world, reducing the thresholds of confrontation. ... Now, as far as [a] possible answer...from Russia in the event that one side leaves the ABM Treaty...then I can say the following. We were talking about the possible kinds and versions of response in the event that one side comes out unilaterally. I was not talking about increasing the missiles. I was talking about how you would substitute single-unit warheads, make them MIRV [multiple] warheads. But...if we are ready to look at the issue of offensive and defensive systems together as a set, we might not ever need to look at that option. But this is one of the subjects of our future discussions. ...'"

Note: following criticism in the Russian media portraying the Genoa joint statement as evidence of a significant weakening in Russia's stance on the ABM Treaty, President Putin was quoted as telling a meeting of his Cabinet in Moscow on July 23: Of course there was no principal breakthrough. We confirmed our adherence to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty." (Genoa no breakthrough in missile talks, Associated Press, July 23.)

Briefing by US National Security Advisor

'Readout to the press pool on the bilateral meeting of President Bush with President Putin of Russia by Dr. Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor, Press Van En Route Cristoforo Colombo Airport Genoa, Italy, July 22, 2001'; The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, July 22.

"Question: 'When you talked about going to Russia yourself, and setting up this timetable and the schedule of intensive consultations, are you talking just logistically setting dates, or also setting agendas, and what does that step-by-step unfolding look like, even just topic wise?'

Dr. Rice: 'Well, I'm also going, in addition to setting up dates and logistics, as you say, to listen to the Russians on what they have in mind for these consultations, so that we have a sense of how they see the agenda unfolding. ... And I want to emphasize that these are ministerial level consultations. This is not a set of 15-year arms control agreements - arms control discussions. This is at the ministerial level, and we expect to move quickly.' ...

Question: 'Will the schedule you set be consistent with the very loose timetable you and Powell and others have set out, in terms of dealing with the issues relating to the ABM Treaty and missile testing of months, not years, in that short period of time? Are you talking about setting an aggressive schedule that would allow you to get to the brunt of those issues in the next few months?'

Dr. Rice: 'It clearly will be an aggressive schedule. And I think both Presidents want it to be an aggressive schedule, allowing for the fact that these are busy people, these ministers. And so one has to allow for that. But they clearly want an aggressive schedule. We don't have a specific timetable in mind. We've made very clear that the constraints of the treaty are a problem for us, and that the President really believes that he's going to need to move forward at an appropriate time. But I think right now what we're focused on is getting in motion high-level consultations, to see how quickly we might be able to sketch out an agreement.' ...

Question: 'Dr. Rice, unless I misunderstood your briefing back at the White House a week or two ago, you said that you weren't interested in getting into another treaty that would put restrictions on defensive weapons. Is that still the view of the United States, that you're not interested in another treaty that would restrict defensive weapons? And if that's the case, then in what way are defensive weapons part of these talks? ...'

Dr. Rice: '[W]e're not interested in...replicating the old arms control process, by which it takes us 15 years to come to some agreement. We believe that that is something that happens when you have an implacably hostile relationship. And so we don't believe there's a need for such. As I've said, we will talk to the Russians about what forms they have in mind. But I would expect, or certainly it's our view that these are more like defense planning talks, that you look at what is required for each side to insure itself. ...'"

Note: see News Review for comment from Dr. Rice's discussions in Moscow in late July concerning the details of linked discussions on offensive and defensive systems.

The official Russian response was provided by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexander Yakovenko, speaking on Russian television on July 27 (Russian Foreign Ministry transcript, Document 1405-27-07-2001):

"Question: 'Some media outlets commenting on the results of the visit to Moscow by the US President's National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice claim that the Russian side has agreed "to start moving away from the ABM Treaty." It is suggested that we have "traded" the fundamental change of position for US consent to a radical cut of the strategic offensive weapons of the two countries. Is that really so?'

Yakovenko: 'These allegations are absolutely at odds with reality. The Russian President has reaffirmed our position in support of the ABM Treaty as an inalienable component of strategic stability in the world in his talks with George Bush in Genoa. We did not hear from Mrs. Rice any new arguments to cause us to review our fundamental approach to the 1972 Treaty. As for the reduction of strategic offensive weapons we believe the public agreement between Vladimir Putin and George Bush to jointly and radically reduce them to be an important achievement of the Russian-American talks in Genoa. Our proposals on that score presented to the US by the Russian President back in November of last year remain in force. We propose to cut the arsenals of each of the two countries to 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2008 with the use of verification mechanisms under START I and START II treaties. Let me add that the presidents in Genoa agreed to discuss the issues of offensive and defense weapons together.'

Question: 'When are consultations to begin?'

Yakovenko: 'During the Moscow talks with Condoleezza Rice the parties agreed that working groups of experts from the foreign and defense ministries will start consultations as early as August.'"

Interview with Russian Foreign Minister

'Transcript of the Interview by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov to Vremya Program (ORT Channel) on Strategic Stability, July 23, 2001,' Russian Foreign Ministry transcript, Document 1373-23-07-2001, July 23.

"Question: 'Igor Sergeyevich, some analysts describe the results of the talks and meetings in Genoa as a breakthrough, a major diplomatic success of Russia, but others take a different view. Do you think it really marked a breakthrough?'

Minister Ivanov: 'Naturally, issues of strategic stability loomed large in the meetings between President Putin of Russia and the US President. The fact that the two presidents have issued a Joint Statement on these matters is of fundamental importance. It is important that the Joint Statement speaks of the agreement of the two presidents to start early intensive consultations on the interconnected issues of offensive and defensive systems. This is a matter of principle. And this is our position. We have repeatedly set it forth before. The Russian President spelled it out in his policy statement on November 13, 2000 and of course we are satisfied that this approach has been sealed in the joint statement.' ...

Question: 'Some mass media, both Russian and Western, have suggested that Russia has changed its stance on the ABM Treaty. Could you comment on that?'

Minister Ivanov: 'The Russian position in support of the ABM Treaty is well known. And no changes have taken place there. The agreements reached in Genoa are fixed in the Joint Statement and one should proceed from that. I would perhaps add an important detail that is not mentioned in the Joint Statement - the agreement of our Presidents on joint and radical cuts of strategic offensive weapons. That too is an important element of strategic stability. And it is important that such an understanding in principle has been achieved in Genoa.'"

© 2001 The Acronym Institute.