US President George W Bush has said that Russia does not pose a threat to Europe, despite a vow by Russian President Vladimir Putin to target the continent if the US deploys a missile shield in central Europe.
Speaking to reporters in Germany ahead of the G8 summit, Mr Bush said that Russia was not an enemy and it was not going to attack Europe.
The two leaders are due to have a bilateral meeting at the G8 summit tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Mr Bush's senior advisor on climate change has said Washington would not be agreeing to ambitious targets to cut greenhouse emissions at the G8 summit.
The annual summit opens later today before beginning in earnest tomorrow morning. Its host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, had hoped new targets would be agreed.
However, James Connaughton said the US was not alone in rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach.
There are fears that climate change, which was expected to top the agenda, may now be overshadowed by tension between the US and Russia.
16,000 police on duty for summit
A big security operation is in effect for the meeting, with 16,000 police deployed to guard the leaders of the world's most industrialised nations in the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm.
Protests against the summit by anarchists and anti-globalisation groups in the nearby city of Rostock degenerated into violence on Saturday, leaving hundreds of police and demonstrators injured.
Leaders from the G8 - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US - are expected to discuss other foreign policy issues including Iran's nuclear programme, Sudan and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
