This happened over the Falklands as well, where the Whitehouse do not want to get invoved in Britains problems. Yet they come whinging for back up when they want something backing at the united nations or there's a need for show of strength in the midst of oil nations.
Lets hope the British goverment of the day now heed this show of 'friendship' and start standing down in present wars, and standing aside in all future American requests. It has not affected other european countries unduly.

Dean Holloway, Solihull, uk

Clealry there is no special relationship, Bush says jump the british goverment says how high sir and for how long. Bush is on planet cuckoo land with the missle defence shield, it will undoubtedly suffer from 'mission creep' due to 'realities on the ground' and have missles pointed at russia and all kinds of high tech listening devices before long. Lets not forget the Cuban missle crisis, what powerful nation would allow an (ex) enemy to have a missle base on its borders. Only self serving narrow minded politician would want a missle shields in their country because if there every is a need for it they will become the primary target. And all an agressor nation needs to do is to fire multiple missles as the missles shield could not cope many multiple targets, so its a waste of time having a missle shields. Looks like we are back to the MAD (mutualy assured destruction) times of the 80's - Thank you Bush for making the lives of my children a lot darker.

Phillip Harris, London,

The British are much more on the 'front line' of Russian relations than the US, as Europeans we are more exposed. The US can afford to take the long view, and wisely, it does. The same thing happened in 1940 with Nazi Germany! If Blair had been in No.10 and not Brown, Bush might have weighed in. Brown has lost the warmth in the relationship and is no diplomat. But Putin is clearly in the wrong and Brown is sending only a gentle message to Russia - a much stronger one to the rest of the world. Putin miscalculated. The question at this point is, will he be clever enough to extricate himself now or will he drag Russia beyond the point of no return.

Robert Gillespie, London, England

Britain should stop being so hypocritical about the extradition of Lugovoi from Russia - we cannot refuse to extradite Berezovsky and then be surprised that the Russians do not extradite Lugavoi. And we cannot say that the reason that we do not extradite Berezovsky is because the Russian judiciary is not independent of the government and then ask the Russian government to break its own laws and extradite Lugavoi.

CHarles butler, Perm, Russia

Just another case of Bush - who looked into Putin's soul and liked what he saw - being incapable of facing reality.

oldasiahand, Guildford, UK

Ah, the special relationship?

SC, London, United Kingdom

I'd comment on this story but I'm afraid if I did, I'd end up dead in an alleyway or irradiated.

[name redacted], Kansas City, Kansas

Hat's off to the US where Boris Berezovsky's status is persona non gratis . No amount of money can buy him the much coveted visa into the US he has sought so relentlessly. Nor has his money been able to buy him the influence he has been able to buy in the UK.

On the issue of Boris Berezovsky, US Russia relations is shaped by the more reasoned approach of maintaining a moral highground.

Brian K. Doan, Burlington, US

Typical, we help them in Iraq, Afganistan and the "War on Terror" and they run away like school kids from a playground fight just as the teachers come.

Peter, Portsmouth,