Putin to Bush, NATO: 'Let's be friends, guys'

"Let's be friends, guys, and engage in an honest dialogue," Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday in a message to US President George W. Bush and NATO at the start of three days of farewell meetings at a gathering of NATO leaders in Bucharest. The two leaders emphasized cooperation and Bush referred to himself and Putin as "two old warhorses" nearing the end of their presidencies, a Bush aide said after the closed-door session. For his part, Putin made clear he was unhappy about the eastward expansion of the Western military alliance toward Russia.