When a reporter asked a two-part question about whether there were any breakthroughs in countering nuclear proliferation and how he rated the state of United States-Russian relations , Mr. Putin began , '' We will not participate in any crusades , in any holy alliances , '' which analysts here took as a signal to Iran that Russia was not fully aligned with Mr. Bush , or as a dig at Mr. Bush 's campaign to spread democracy in the Middle East , or both .