Blair said he thought the leaders would at least agree on "the need to make sure that we have a substantial reduction in emissions" by all the world's top greenhouse gas emitters.

For his part, Bush pushed his desire to bring allies along in support of tougher action against Sudan over the crisis in its Darfur region. Bush announced new US penalties against Sudan last week, but he also wants backing for a UN resolution to add pressure on the government to allow a UN peacekeeping force.

"The international organizations can't move quickly enough," Bush said. "I don't know how long it's going to take for people to hear the call to save lives. ... If the UN won't act, we need to take action ourselves."

The president indulged wistful thoughts about this month's departure of Blair, for years his closest foreign ally. "It's a nostalgic moment for me," Bush said, the Baltic Sea shimmering behind the two men. "I'm sorry it's come to be. But that's what happens in life."

In between private meetings on the sidelines, the eight leaders had a full day of meetings to discuss issues ranging from Africa aid to trade and Lebanon.

The gathering is being held under tight security, with Heiligendamm entirely encircled by a seven-mile, razor wire-topped fence to keep out protesters and terrorists.

Thousands of demonstrators spent the night in a no-demonstration zone established in a half-mile perimeter around the fence. On Thursday, protesters for a second day blockaded roads leading into the summit zone. And offshore, Greenpeace environmental activists led police on a boat chase, with one boatload briefly spilling into the Baltic after collision.

There are many items on the disagreement list between Washington and Moscow.

Russia is unhappy about US support for independence for the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo. It bristles at what it sees as US meddling in its affairs and its traditional sphere of influence.

Washington is getting fed up with Putin for overseeing what the US perceives as an era of muzzled dissent and centralized power.

Bush this week put Russia on a par with China, calling US-Russian ties "complex" and criticizing democracy as being "derailed" under Putin. The remarks carried extra sting because they were delivered publicly and in the Czech Republic. The

NATO membership of the former Soviet satellite, which threw off communism in 1989, along with others, is a thorn in Russia's side.

On the other hand, Moscow has shown more willingness of late to help the West take on Iran over its nuclear program. Washington wants to preserve this momentum.

"There's a lot of constructive work we can do," Bush said.

The Russians projected a similar air. They said the open hostility was part of a constructive relationship - while reaffirming disagreements with Washington's view of Russian democracy.

Moscow's unrelenting objections to the proposed missile shield overshadow everything.

Russian suspicions were roused earlier this year when the US chose the Czech Republic and Poland as the missile defense sites. Bush is to visit both countries after the summit.

Putin spokesman Dmitri Peskov promised "uncomfortable consequences" if the shield is deployed "next to our borders" without more acceptable explanations from the United States.

But, he added: "Russia is the last country in this world who is thinking about confrontation or starting another Cold War."

It turns out Russians aren't the only ones harboring suspicions. White House aides were instructed not to use their wireless e-mail devices during the summit for fear of Russian eavesdropping.

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