So far the only recent story regarding Russia and a reconnaissance aircraft is one from Interfax regarding intelligence gathering operations on the Black Sea coast. Apparently a U.S. aircraft terminated its flight along the Russian coast after an Su-27 fighter took to the air.QUESTION: Richard, where -- question, change of subject. Have you heard from the Russian Government at all? There was a reconnaissance plane -- it's typically a question I guess you'd want coming from the Pentagon, but the problems in Georgia and associated with infiltration with all types of weaponry coming south into Iraq and Afghanistan criminally --
MR. BOUCHER: Hang on. Where is the reconnaissance plane?
QUESTION: It was turned back over several -- yesterday in the reports or in the media, wire service.
MR. BOUCHER: In what part of the world? In Georgia, near Georgia, in Russia?
QUESTION: Right, right.
MR. BOUCHER: And it was criminally on its way to Iraq?
QUESTION: No, no, no, no, no.
MR. BOUCHER: I'm getting a little confused here.
QUESTION: Our reconnaissance planes.
MR. BOUCHER: If it's an airplane that belongs to the United States Government, I think you'd have to check with the Pentagon.
QUESTION: All right.
This issue is only one of many diplomatic fires which may be straining relations between the U.S. and the Russian Federation.
In a recent entry I wrote about a letter from the Russian Federation to the UN Secretary-General accusing the U.S. of harboring terrorists, specifically by granting assylum to Ilyas Akhmadov, a former foreign minister of Chechnya who is accused of terrorism by the Russian Federation.
Today comes the news that the Russian Federation is developing a nuclear missile "of the kind that other nuclear powers do not and will not have." Although the White House downplayed the issue during today's press briefing, the question remains, exactly how strained is the relationship between the U.S. and the Russian Federation?
With former spymaster Porter Goss taking control of CIA, and hardliner Condi Rice on the fast track to take control of State, are we positioning for a sequel to the cold war?
White House Reacts With Caution to Russia
Courtesy of The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The White House reacted cautiously Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement that his country is developing a nuclear missile "of the kind that other nuclear powers do not and will not have."
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said it wasn't news to the Bush administration, that President Bush and Putin had discussed the issue previously. He emphasized U.S.-Russia agreements in place to reduce the two countries' nuclear arsenals and Washington's view of Moscow as a crucial partner in the anti-terror battle.
"This is not something that we look at as new," he said. "We are very well aware of their long-standing modernization efforts for their military. ... We are allies now in the global war on terrorism."
McClellan suggested that close ties between Bush and Putin makes alarm unnecessary — but doesn't eliminate Washington's concern.
"We have a very different relationship than we did in the Cold War," he said. "The fact that we do have a good relationship enables us to speak very directly to our Russian friends."
Putin said earlier Wednesday that Russia is researching and successfully testing new nuclear missile systems, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
"I am sure that ... they will be put in service within the next few years and, what is more, they will be developments of the kind that other nuclear powers do not and will not have," Putin was quoted as saying.