>I should point out that the US has very little economic leverage over Russia
>with which to carry out said threats. The US is a minor trading partner for
>Russia.
I thought: 1) Russia's pretty flush, and so less vulnerable to U.S. bullying, and 2) the U.S. wants Russian oil as an alternative to the Middle East. So who's in the stronger bargaining position now?
There's a rumor that in return for the veto Russia will reject the Kyoto accord, thereby dooming it (all it needs is Russian ratification to go into effect). That'd be a lovely consolation prize for Bush!
Doug