• Issue 2

Russia is flexing its muscles before the G8 summit begins this week. Its president, Vladimir Putin, is severly hostile to the US star-shield plan in Europe and has warned the world of the risk of a new Cold War.

Putin has also urged Western public opinion to "stop calling us orcs" - a reference to allegations of poor civil liberties records circulated during the last few weeks.  Putin is clearly disturbed by the West questioning Russia's alleged lack of democracy, and has styled himself as the "unique democrat" on the scene.

Yet could the UK also be a target for his anger?

Putin dismissed on Monday the UK's Crown Prosecution Service extradition request for Andrei Lugovoi as a "stupidity" and simultaneously released Kremlin documents purportedly saying that BP's license to develop the giant Kovykta gas field could be revoked.  If BP loses its energy rights, Gazprom - a former Russian energy monopoly that is still effectively under state control - would be the obvious choice to take over development.

With the heads of state set to meet in two days, the relationship between Russia and Britain seems to be at its lowest point since the Iron Curtain fell. Russia, for its part, appears to be following a strategy to overshadow Blair's last G8 conference by imposing a different agenda on him.

"I think there is no direct link between BP's case and Litvinenko's affair," said Philippe Hanson, a Russian studies expert at Chatham House.

"In other words, it is not a retaliation, although coming to the summit with all decisions still to be taken is like saying ‘be careful of what you do,'" he said.

"Russia is becoming increasingly suspicious of the West and its general attitude is to push out Western companies from gas fields, something that UK's government cannot accept without protest."

A Downing Street spokesman said Putin's remarks will not push climate change or Africa off the agenda.

"If other issues want to be discussed I'm sure they can be, but the German presidency has established what its priorities are and they are Africa and climate change," he said.

This G8 might be the last opportunity for Blair to ensure a better foreign policy legacy, which has been heavily damaged by the Iraqi conflict. On the other hand, the US is not so keen to tackle global warming and the Europeans are lukewarm towards the African issue - aid targets established at Gleneagles two years ago have largely been forgotten.

A peevish profile by Putin would be the perfect manoeuvre for Russia to doom Blair's final legacy dreams.

Image: Internet.