Bush, Putin end summit with show of unity

US President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to resolve their dispute over US missile shield plans yesterday but pledged on a harmonious final day of summitry to fight terrorism and deepen US-Russian ties.

‘‘Our differences will not divide us,’’ Bush told hundreds of students and townspeople in a steamy high school gym.

‘‘We have a difference of opinion,’’ he said at a question-and-answer session with students. ‘‘But ... our relationship is strong enough to endure this difference of opinion.’’

Putin reaffirmed his opposition to anti-missile tests that would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. But he also said that, no matter what Bush does, ‘‘under no circumstances could it lead to any tension in the relations between Russia and the United States’’.

US officials said they viewed the remark as a signal that Putin won’t try to stand in the way of upcoming missile tests. That understanding, however, fell far short of a formal deal to make the ABM flexible enough to allow testing, which was Bush’s hope.

In the midst of the fight against terrorism, both leaders seemed to push the missile defence issue down the road.

‘‘We shall continue our discussions,’’ Putin said.

Bush announced that he will visit Russia next year. Aides said the trip might offer a fit setting to resolve the ABM debate.

In a remarkable display of affection, the leaders traded punch lines and backslaps. They joked about the weather (hot in Texas, cold in Siberia); the students’ questions (too tough, they said), and their favourite American state (Texas, of course).

‘‘Except maybe for Alaska,’’ Putin added with a wry grin, ‘‘which we sold to you.’’ Packed, it seemed, with each of the town’s 705 residents, the gymnasium echoed with applause.