Kim, Putin head back to the future

The reclusive North Korean leader closed the official portion of his trip having accomplished the main goal of his high-profile talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin: the signing of a joint manifesto reaffirming the ties the countries had during the Cold War, when both were communist. Analysts said the manifesto, full of Soviet-style language, and Putin's warm welcome for Kim, were designed to send a message to -- and indirectly criticize -- the United States. The so-called Moscow Declaration gave no indication whether North Korea was willing to reopen talks with Washington anytime soon, and instead repeated Pyongyang's demand that the U.S. withdraw its troops from South Korea. U.S. President George W. Bush offered to resume talks with Pyongyang in June, but the North Korean leadership has not given any formal response to the offer. Washington has said it wants to build a national missile defense system because of fears of nuclear proliferation in North Korea and other countries. Russia opposes the plan. Some observers said Kim came with more concrete goals.