Bush looking forward to final meeting with Putin

By Susan Cornwell

KIEV (Reuters) - President Bush said on Tuesday he was looking forward to his last official meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a few days, saying the Kremlin chief had proved a strong leader and "I like him."

Bush, who like Putin is in the twilight of his presidency, famously declared after his first encounter with the Russian leader in 2001 that he trusted him after gaining a "sense of his soul."

Critics later derided that statement as naive as Putin took steps they said curbed democratic freedoms in Russia.

On Tuesday, Bush said nothing about trust, but defended his policy of engaging Putin, saying it was important to the world that the United States had a working relationship with Russia.

"This will be my last chance to visit with him face to face," Bush, speaking alongside Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, said of his talks this weekend at the Kremlin leader's Black Sea villa in the resort of Sochi.

The encounter will take place after both men attend the NATO summit in the Romanian capital Bucharest.

"I've worked with him for eight years. We've had a very interesting relationship. I like him. He's a person that, you know, has been a strong leader for Russia."

Bush leaves office next January. Putin's protege, Dmitry Medvedev, takes over in May as Russian president and Putin becomes prime minister.