President George W. Bush yesterday both flattered and challenged Europe, urging America's "strong partner" work with the US to advance democracy from Russia to Syria, Iraq to the Middle East.

In the setpiece address of his trip to Europe this week, Mr Bush called for a "new era of transatlantic unity" and followed it up with a demanding agenda. He pressed Europe to put democratic reform at the heart of its relations with Russia and asked for more substantive European help in Iraq.