The Litvinenko case is poisoning relations with Moscow

"There is little appetite in official circles in the west for renewed confrontation with Russia", notes Gideon Rachman "Germany and France have made it clear long ago that they want to pal up with Mr Putin. Jacques Chirac, French president, recently invited Mr Putin to his birthday party. ... Gerhard Schröder, the former German chancellor, has happily taken a position on the board of a subsidiary of Gazprom, the Russian energy giant which is closely associated with the Kremlin. As for Washington and London, the problems of the Middle East are daunting enough already without seeking a new clash with Russia. It is not just that the war in Iraq sucks up time and resources. Iraq has also damped American and British zeal for promoting democracy and human rights. Foreign policy 'realism' is coming back into fashion. A realist approach to Russia starts by emphasising all the areas in which Europeans and Americans need Russian co-operation ... ."

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