Lobster and detente on menu at Bush-Putin summit

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine, July 2 (Reuters) If US President George W Bush hopes fresh lobster and scenic boat rides will sway Russia's Vladimir Putin, he'll find out today when they try to mend relations now at a post-Cold War low.

The leaders will hold talks at the end of Putin's overnight visit to the Bush family's New England estate in a bid to find common ground on thorny issues, such as a planned US missile shield and how to deal with Iran's nuclear defiance.

Both sides advised against expecting breakthroughs.

Instead, they portray the meeting on the rugged Maine coast as a chance for Bush and Putin to revive the rapport they once enjoyed and to salvage US-Russia ties that have frayed badly as both near the final stages of their presidencies.

''I really don't think that either of them want, as part of their legacy, a trashed U.S.-Russian relationship,'' said Andrew Kuchins, a Russia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Bush's invitation to his family's century-old Kennebunkport compound was seen by analysts as a sign that Washington is serious about trying to get the relationship back on track.

Townspeople have dubbed it the ''lobster summit.'' Greeting Putin today like a long-lost family member, Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, treated him to a quick tour of the area in a high-powered speedboat before sitting down for a traditional lobster dinner.

There was also talk of early-morning fishing today before their informal talks and a closing news conference.

''It's pretty casual up here, as you know, unstructured,'' Bush told reporters while awaiting Putin's arrival.

Aides agree the relaxed setting may help the leaders narrow their differences, but it won't be enough to bridge them.

'SENSE OF HIS SOUL' Bush famously said in 2001 he trusted Putin after looking him in the eye and gaining a ''sense of his soul.'' Since then, ties between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated to their lowest level since the end of the Cold War.

Emboldened by Russia's energy wealth and his own popularity at home, Putin has adopted a more assertive posture on the world stage.

At the same time, he seems to sense Bush's weakness. Bush's approval ratings have slipped below 30 per cent amid growing public disenchantment with the Iraq war, which Putin opposed.

The biggest dispute hanging over today's talks is a US plan to locate components of a missile defense system in eastern Europe, Moscow's former sphere of influence.

Saying he was unconvinced by US insistence the shield is meant to defend against ''rogue states'' like Iran, Putin recently threatened to re-target missiles toward Europe.

He caught Bush off guard last month with a counter-proposal -- joint use of Russian radar in Azerbaijan, an offer U.S.

officials have promised to study, but have cast doubt upon.

Bush will seek Putin's support for tougher UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. Russia has softened previous penalties and may be reluctant to go along.

The two countries are also at odds over Kosovo. Washington backs its independence from Serbia. Moscow opposes it.

Adding to tensions has been a recent spate of harsh rhetoric, with Bush chastising Russia for backsliding on democratic reforms and Putin seeming to compare US foreign policy to that of the Third Reich.

Bush's father, not expected to participate beyond acting as host, could help sooth tensions by evoking a more constructive era in relations that followed the fall of the Soviet Union.

REUTERS SKB KP1050