Bush, Putin to air post-Cold War views at summit

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush will carry a message that the United States is no longer Russia's enemy and the two can be partners when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time Saturday.

Bush and Putin will discuss their post-Cold War visions of the world in a summit in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

The two leaders are sure to debate Bush's plans for a missile defense system and his desire to amend the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty that codified the Cold War. Bush has already faced tough questions on the issue during his five-day, five-nation European tour.

"I will make the case, as I have to all European leaders I have met on this trip, that the basis for our mutual security must move beyond Cold War doctrines," Bush said on the eve of his meeting with Putin.

"It's important for Russia to hear that our nation is concerned about the spreading of weapons of mass destruction, and I'll bring it up in the context of explaining why it is important for us to think differently on missile defenses."

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U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice sought to play down expectations of a breakthrough, saying the meeting is a great opportunity for the two men to share their views. Rice said Bush would reiterate themes of cooperation and that Russia is welcome "to take a rightful place in Europe."

"This is an opportunity for the two presidents to get to know each other, to establish a personal relationship, for the president to sketch out his broad vision of how he'd like to see U.S.-Russian relations go, but not to make specific proposals to the Russians," Rice said.

The meeting will cap Bush's European tour -- what Rice described as "not the average, normal American president's tour to Europe."

Bush will seek to press Russia on its sale of missiles and other military technology to Iran, his aides told CNN. Rice said Bush is concerned about the Iran-Russian relationship and that it could lead to an "increased danger of a proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to Iran."

"The president will make the point to President Putin that may seem at this moment to be an expedient policy with certain states can really come back to haunt not just us, but the Russians," she said.

Putin is likely to grill Bush on the continued expansion of NATO, the alliance that was formed among Western nations to keep Soviets in check and has in recent years crept to the East. Putin has expressed his opposition of NATO expansion.

To that end, Bush said Friday, "Our country doesn't want to diminish the nation. We want to elevate the nation. ... It is time to put talk of East and West behind us."