Slovaks see Putin as democracy guarantor

Slovaks see Russian President Vladimir Putin as more of a guarantor of democracy in the world than President George Bush, a poll revealed today.

The two leaders are to hold a summit in Bratislava, the Slovak capital, this week.

Of 505 Slovaks question for the poll, 43% said they viewed Putin as the guarantor of democracy while only 35.9% went for Bush.

Alexander Duleba, an analyst with the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, said he thought Slovaks’ answers reflected their disagreements with Bush’s decision over the war in Iraq, rather than what they thought of him overall.

Duleba also said the result showed the poor knowledge of Slovaks about international relations and Russian affairs.

Slovakia, a staunch US ally, now has more than 100 soldiers in Iraq.

Bush and Putin will meet on February 24.