Medvedev at G8 offers no change in Russia course

By Oleg Shchedrov

TOYAKO, Japan (Reuters) - Anyone who placed a bet on Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signaling a softer Kremlin line when he attended this week's Group of Eight summit will have lost their money.

The summit was Medvedev's debut at a major international meeting. Fellow G8 leaders were queuing up for an opportunity to meet him and gauge if he will tone down the assertive line of his predecessor and mentor, Vladimir Putin.

"This year most of the bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit have been arranged at the request of our partners," a member of the Russian delegation said.

Medvedev, a softly-spoken former lawyer, took over from Putin in May. He had spent his political career in Putin's shadow and had not run for elected office until he won this year's presidential election.

The big question asked by Russia watchers is whether 42-year-old Medvedev is his own man or a puppet of Putin, who has stayed on as an unusually-powerful prime minister.

Medvedev has vowed to continue Putin's drive to revive Russia and restore its global role -- a stance that in the West has revived uncomfortable memories of the Cold War.

But Medvedev has also said he is committed to civil liberties, freedom of speech and locking Russia into a broader European civilization. Those remarks fuelled suggestions his presidency could be more liberal in style if not in substance.

At the G8 summit, on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Medvedev gave the impression he is not out of his depth among more seasoned international leaders.

He looked relaxed and self-confident, calling U.S. President George W. Bush by his first name and seeming to enjoy the informal atmosphere of the meeting.

"This makes communication easier and more productive and allows you to tell your partner whatever you wish," he said.

But there was no sign Russia would take a softer line under Medvedev than it did under former KGB spy Putin on contentious international issues raised at the summit.

HARSH REBUFFS

His reaction to news of the Czech republic signing a deal with Washington to station elements of a U.S. anti-missile shield appeared restrained, tempering threats of counter- measures with willingness to continue talks.

"We are extremely upset by this situation," he told a news conference at the G8. "We will not be hysterical about this but we will think of retaliatory steps."

Several G8 leaders, including Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, raised concerns about Georgia, a former Soviet republic where the pro-Western government accuses Russia of trying to annex part of its territory.