Inside Obama's Meeting With Medvedev

[sabra]

Source: CBS News

President Obama has succeeded in his plan to "reset" US-Russian relations.

The president hailed "a new era of progress" following his first face to face meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. They agreed seek a new deal to reduce nuclear warheads.

Negotiators will report initial results by July when President Obama will visit Moscow for a summit. The proposed arms deal would move beyond a 2002 treaty that committed the two nuclear arms holders to cut arsenals to between 1,700 and 2,200 by 2012.

In language reminiscent of Cold War era wording, an official said the U.S.wants "a treaty that is verifiably and legally binding." An aide said the president emphasized his concern about weapons reaching the hands of terrorists.

U.S.officials in on the Obama-Medvedev meeting described the tone as "cordial and congenial." "Icebreaker" topics included talk of their families and their shared interest in the law.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/01/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4909943.shtml

[theoldman]

1. Like it or not the US needs to be friends with Russia.

It is one of the largest countries, they have a lot of oil, they have a lot of trees, and last but not least, they are can get us to the space station. Should I mention the best Vodka?

[sudopod]

2. You forgot Poland. nt

[russian33]

3. Thee largest

even with breakup of USSR, Russia alone is still the largest country in the world, and one with the most natural resource probably....oil, gas

[stillcool]

4. and they're second behind us..

in nukes.

[FailureToCommunicate]

5. The person most behind the ending of Cold War - Gorbachev - is behind this

latest effort at cooling things, I'll wager.

[steven johnson]

6. AP Analysis: Medvedev-Obama meet a success for Russia

President Dmitry Medvedev's first meeting with Barack Obama brought Russia a shot of prestige, upbeat headlines about nuclear-arms cuts and a powerful signal that Moscow has the ear of the new U.S. president.

Obama also got a boost from the talks, which set a constructive new tone after years of growing acrimony between the U.S. and an assertive Russia. The price tag for both sides so far: virtually zero.

President Dmitry Medvedev's first meeting with Barack Obama brought Russia a shot of prestige, upbeat headlines about nuclear-arms cuts and a powerful signal that Moscow has the ear of the new U.S. president.

Obama also got a boost from the talks, which set a constructive new tone after years of growing acrimony between the U.S. and an assertive Russia. The price tag for both sides so far: virtually zero.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iDXYGkT0DJaffdtjWdzQ4iWAgM-wD97AH3002

[steven johnson]

7. Moscow Times (4/3/09): "new Russian & U.S. presidents give the impression of being pragmatists"

Even the Moscow Times noted the pragmatic tone of the conversation between Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev.

The promise by U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to "press the reset button" in its relations with Russia holds promise for rapid progress in the near future as well as for dealing with serious problems down the line.

Russia's anti-U.S. rhetoric has also decreased. Whatever residual criticisms we still hear are directed primarily at the back of the outgoing administration. It is worth noting that from the Kremlin's point of view, Washington should take the first step to improve relations because U.S. policies led relations to break down in the first place. So far, Russia seems to be satisfied with the quantity and quality of the signals that it is receiving from the Obama administration.

There is, however, a complicating factor -- namely, the asymmetry of their relationship. The United States is far more important to Russia than the other way around. Here, the Obama administration must be given credit for behaving tactfully and for trying to emphasize Moscow's importance in every possible way. But an objective imbalance exists.

On the positive side, the new Russian and U.S. presidents give the impression of being pragmatists trying to find a reasonable way to cope with the burdensome heritage of the previous years. Their predecessors were unable to manage it; too many high hopes turned into deep disappointments, and personal relations took precedence over relations between states. The first meeting between Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in London offers hope that now common sense and cooler heads will prevail.


http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1016/42/375913.htm