It’s sure to be a great photo op when Russian President Putin trots around President Bush’s ranch this week. The two will stand shoulder to shoulder against terrorism and boast a series of economic and other agreements. Look closer, though, and you’ll see saddle sores. Bush officials tell TIME that late last month Russia rejected a U.S.-proposed ceiling for strategic nuclear weapons, objecting that the proposed cap of about 2,000 warheads was still too high. The rebuff forced Under Secretary of State John Bolton to work through last week in Moscow to try to get the Russians back on board. Another rub: Bush officials tell TIME that Russian planes bombed the Republic of Georgia earlier this month as part of Moscow’s offensive against Chechen rebels given safe haven by President Eduard Shevardnadze. Georgia is a U.S. ally that receives, among other assistance, CIA training for its security forces, and Washington has urged Russian restraint. Bottom line? U.S.-Russian relations look less cozy in the Caucasus than in Crawford.
–By Massimo Calabresi
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