President Bush is back in the United States after wrapping up his European tour. The multi-country trip was a tightly scripted affair and large demonstrations against Bush were kept far away from any of the official events. Last night, Bush met for two hours with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Bratislava, Slovakia. At a press conference after the summit, Bush criticized Russia on issues of freedom of the press, freedom of dissent and protection of minorities. The Russian press blasted Bush’s comments as hypocritical. At yesterday’s press conference, Bush made what were perhaps his most extensive comments on his view of the media. In the closing speech of his four days of meetings, Bush celebrated the upheavals in Ukraine and Georgia, where Moscow and Washington were on opposing sides. Bush also predicted similar events would take place in Belarus and in Moldova, the poorest country in Europe and the only one governed by a communist party. It goes to the polls next week.
Bush Wraps Up European Trip
HeadlineFeb 25, 2005