TOYAKO, Japan, July 07, SPA -- Dmitry Medvedev was set to meet withfour Western leaders Monday during a summit of industrialized nations, his biggest international forum since he took over as Russia's president from his patron, Vladimir Putin. Medvedev was holding separate talks with U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, FrenchPresident Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister GordonBrown on the sidelines of the summit of the Group of Eighteconomic powers, the Associated Press reported. After the meeting with Bush, a top Medvedev aideemphasized the positive trend in Russian-U.S. relations but saidthe United States has failed to ease Russia's concernsabout its plans for a European-based missile shield, amajor bone of contention. «There is no real progress,» Sergei Prikhodko said. Hesaid Medvedev warned Bush that deploying interceptors forthe system in the ex-Soviet republic of Lithuania if talkswith Poland fail «would be absolutely unacceptable for theRussian Federation. » Prikhodko said the talks were «exclusivelywell-intentioned, constructive and open, but at timescritical.» He said Medvedev believes «the overall balanceof Russian-American relations is without a doubtpositive.» The three-day summit and a slew of one-on-one meetingswill test Medvedev's diplomatic dexterity two months afterhis inauguration as president. «I found him to be a smart guy who understood the issuesvery well,» Bush said of Medvedev. «But I'm notsurprised. After all, he has been very close to foreignpolicy issues up until his ascendancy to the presidency.»--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/571703