American president George W Bush has faced the heat over his policy on climate change at an EU and US summit in Sweden.

And he is set for further confrontation over his planned missile defence system in Poland on Friday.

In a European tour that seems to have deepened transatlantic rifts rather build bridges, Bush faces a meeting with Russian president, Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

Many believe that Putin's opposition to US missile defence plans will have been strengthened by the lukewarm reception greeting Bush's proposals at Wednesday's NATO summit in Brussels.

Greeted by thousands of protesters in Gothenburg on Thursday, Bush's first meeting with the EU 15 leaders "en masse" was dominated by a trans-Atlantic rift over his rejection of the Kyoto treaty on climate change.

Bush's view that the agreement to combat global warming is "unrealistic and not based on science" has infuriated EU leaders.

And earlier this week, EU leaders rejected Bush proposals for more research to be carried out in to the likely causes of climate change.

The Swedish EU presidency "demanded that the issue be on the agenda" and in the run-up to the summit declared the US and Europe to be "very far removed from each other" on the Kyoto issue.

Unable to find any middle ground on the global warming issue the stalemate was evident at a joint press conference between EU president and Swedish prime minister, Goran Perrson, commission president, Romano Prodi and president Bush.

"We disagree on the Kyoto protocol and its ratification but we are determined to work together in all relevant for a to address climate change," sated a joint EU/US communique.

The EU will now ratify the Kyoto agreement on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and the US "will go on with their own policy".

However, the two sides will continue to talk on the issue, with Bush stressing new "channels of cooperation" and the US's commitment to addressing climate change.

But the icy tone of exchanges at the joint press conference gave an indication of the tenor of behind-closed-doors proceedings when Bush grilled Prodi as to why no other nations had ratified the Kyoto treaty.

"I would be interested in the answer," he demanded.

The divisions prompted Tony Blair, who arrived in time for dinner, to make a speech reminding both the EU leaders and US entourage that in spite of the divisions more united the two sides than divided them.

Bush's "charm offensive" has been largely overshadowed by rifts on global warming and missile defence.

And the White House emphasis on agreed transatlantic "basic values" was lost in the sound and fury of anti-globalisation protesters.

But behind the highly publicised disagreements the real business of the summit was to prepare a new round of WTO negotiations for the autumn.

Both the EU and US are keen to ensure that future negotiations are not derailed by similar disputes to the long-running and bitter fight over bananas - now resolved.

Here discussions seem to have been more productive with Bush declaring: "Our relations on economic and trade issues are strong, and that we have agreed on the banana issue shows that we can solve problems."