WASHINGTON — President Bush has gone too far in his praise for the policies and personality of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior Republican senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Jesse Helms, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized Bush Wednesday at a Senate hearing on Bush's trip to Europe. Bush and Putin met for the first time in Slovenia last week.
The North Carolina senator said he was annoyed with Bush's assertion that Putin was "trustworthy," "a remarkable leader" and a man with whom "we share common values."
Just before Secretary of State Colin Powell testified on NATO's involvement in Macedonia, Helms read a long list of complaints about Putin's leadership.
He said the Russian press had felt the "jackboot of repression" and arms-control treaty obligations were being violated and dangerous weapons technologies transferred to "rogue states."
"For these reasons," Helms said, "Mr. Putin was far from deserving the powerful political prestige and influence that comes from an excessively personal endorsement by the president of the United States."
At a meeting of business leaders Wednesday, Bush continued his praise of Putin.
"I found him to be a forward-thinking person and someone with whom our nation should and will work to bring security to that part of the world and to bring prosperity, hopefully through trade, to the Russian people," Bush said.
Helms said Bush's comments are harmful.
"Prematurely personalizing this relationship only undercuts the incentives he has to reorient Russia's domestic and foreign policy goals," he said.
The glowing comments have flowed both ways. After Putin and Bush met, Putin said "there is a very high level of trust between the two of us. I must say that the president is a nice person to talk to."