Mixed results for Obama's first Moscow summit

Wednesday 08th July, 04:10 AM JST

MOSCOW —

For two days, U.S. President Barack Obama pressed the reset button with Russia.

The results: He ended up getting the expected agreement on deep cuts in nuclear arsenals, but he is leaving Moscow with few assurances of Kremlin help in solving other issues key to his foreign policy agenda.

He is also leaving behind a spark he hopes will blaze to life and thaw U.S. relations with a former superpower with a chip on its shoulder. But his two days of summitry produced no unexpected breakthroughs.

Throughout the meetings and speeches, Obama stayed on message: The United States and Russia have too many overlapping interests to move through the coming decades at odds. The time for confrontational Cold War thinking is well-past. America wants Russia to be “strong, peaceful and prosperous.”

He told the graduating class at Moscow’s New Economic School that the United States and Russia were not “destined to be antagonists,” but he predicted—nevertheless—hard bargaining as the two nations work to overcome a long history of estrangement.

“It is difficult to forge a lasting partnership between former adversaries. But I believe on the fundamental issues that will shape this century, Americans and Russians share common interests that form a basis for cooperation,” he said.

On several issues key to Obama foreign policy, the Russians were unbending, at least for now.

—While they agreed to join the U.S. in reassessing the threat from Iran’s nuclear ambitions, there was no hoped-for Kremlin offer of direct intervention with Tehran. The Russians make significant profits from arms sales to Iran and the construction a nuclear complex for electricity generation.

—On the flash point issue of Georgia, where the Russian army crushed the tiny country’s military a year ago, the Kremlin rejected U.S. complaints about Russian insistence that breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain free of Georgian control. Moscow, meantime, remained angry over U.S. refusal to back away from support for Georgia’s hopes to join NATO.

After his breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Obama told Fox News Channel “on areas where we disagree, like Georgia, I don’t anticipate a meeting of the minds anytime soon.”

—Nor did there appear to have been progress in the dispute over arms control. While preparing a START I replacement treaty that would cut nuclear arsenals by about one-third, Moscow and Washington remained fundamentally at odds over U.S. plans for creating a missile defense system in Eastern Europe.

U.S. officials discount Russian complaints about American intentions. But Moscow was still saying the two issues must be linked or a final agreement on cutting nuclear warheads and delivery systems could be in jeopardy. Washington insists missile defense is designed to protect U.S. allies against a potential nuclear attack by Iran. The Russians say such a system would put them at a disadvantage by unbalancing offensive nuclear parity.

The two sides did agree to far greater cooperation on Afghanistan, where Obama is bolstering U.S. troop strength in the fight against Taliban militants and other al-Qaida allied groups. Part of the deal will allow the U.S. to fly, without transit charges, American troops, weapons and other lethal war material across Russian territory. Such U.S. overflights had been limited to non-lethal supplies for the U.S.-led NATO force in Afghanistan, a country from which Russia withdrew in defeat 20 years ago after a decade-long occupation.

Negotiators also prepared a series of side agreements and established a commission nominally headed by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It is designed to quicken the pace of U.S.-Russian engagement across a whole range of issues important to both countries.

In a briefing on the last day of the Obama visit, his top adviser on Russian affairs, Michael McFaul, dared reporters to find a past U.S.-Soviet summit where the two sides had dealt with so many matters of substance.

“We hit all of the dimensions of the U.S.-Russian relationship. ... That’s a good start to what now begins the harder process of building this relationship in a more sustained way,” McFaul said.

Obama also joined two so-called parallel summits Tuesday afternoon, one of business leaders, the other of civil society organizations. Later he met privately with political opposition figures who are under near constant pressure in Russia’s atmosphere of contracting democratic protections and press freedom.

Among the group was former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who said Obama appeared to have held his own in his talks with Russia’s leaders.

“This government is not ready for a dialogue. This government has the mentality of street hoodlums. I think that after looking into Obama’s eyes Putin understood that this guy won’t stand any jokes.”

Outside the luxury hotel where Obama met with opposition leaders, a young man held up a sign that said: “Everything changes. The KGB remains the same.” The sign was ripped from his hands by police and he slipped away. Putin is a former KGB officer, as are many of the officials serving in his government.

Wednesday morning Obama heads to a G-8 summit in Italy. While there he will meet Pope Benedict XVI, before moving on to Ghana where he plans to deliver what the White House describes as a major foreign policy speech.

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10 Comments

rajakumar at 10:31 AM JST - 8th July

Way to go Obama,Medevedev and Putin. Big changes for better coming for Russia via USA's Obama administration.

There bound to be jump in FDI to Russia,as a result of call for a more prosperous and friendly Russia.

Russia has a lot of potential to develop,as how China's potential was developed. There has been many JVs in russia in steel industry via Severstal and in many other fields.

Carrefour france has also opened in Moscow,Russia. Japan also has opened many plants is Russia like Nissan plant and others.

Russia in for a big China like transformations in prosperity.

Already Boeing is now in joint venture in 70 million USD plant in Urals,Russia for making titanium products for aircrafts.

The Russian kopek needs to have lower inflation via many good monetary fiscal discipline in russian economic governance.

Russia woes are there,but economic rise is not stopped by these woes.

A richer Russia,will reduce more woes among russians.

Russian is now very much changed from days of GUM department stores in soviet era.
adaydream at 11:28 AM JST - 8th July

I see it that Obama, Medevedev and Putin made major steps in the decrease of nuclear arms.

I see that Obama, Medevedev and Putin have opened up a door of dialogue and a chance to change relationships between our two superpowers.

Now I expect the republicans to start posting about how poorly that Obama has come off here. They will pout and spout vemon of the evils of Obama.

Remember when they do that, they are telling you how they support the team of Medevedev and Putin over Obama. They are supporting a hope for failure and ignoring the impact of Obama's efforts. < :-)
cooeecobber at 11:34 AM JST - 8th July

So they may have agreed to bin some old stock that's approaching it's 'use-by' date, perhaps to save some money.

Big deal. Doesn't change the fact that I live in a country with (US) nuclear weapons, and I'm surrounded by countries with them.

I don't feel any safer.
SushiSake3 at 03:35 PM JST - 8th July

DickMorris - "Our security is destroyed through Obama."

Care to explain how?

"Stockpile weapons all patriots and be ready to fight, nuff said!"

Um...the American Revolution finished, like last century.....
SushiSake3 at 03:37 PM JST - 8th July

Conservatives are reacting to Obama's successes in a way that clearly suggests they simply want the best for their country, in fact that suggests they are anti-American.

Each to his own. :-)
SushiSake3 at 03:47 PM JST - 8th July

Conservatives' rhetoric is destroying what little chance they ever had of regaining power in America.

That's just great.

We've now got a president in Obama who has done more good for America in 6 months than bush did in 8 years, and conservatives STILL whine and moan and repeatedly fail to put up any constructive proposals or ideas whatsoever.

President Obama has just negotiated a 1/3 cut in nuclear weapons on both sides.

But U.S. conservatives somehow think that's 'bad' and show to the world yet again what a total joke their brand has become.
adaydream at 10:08 PM JST - 8th July

SushiSake3, you got something there. I forget who the poster was, but one of the GOP wingers here on JT is so against Obama that he elevates Putin over Obama.

Obama has done his best to start a 'change' in US foreign relations. He is working to reduce the threat of a nuclear attack from Russia. < :-)
RomeoRamenII at 10:44 PM JST - 8th July

Another trip overseas, another embarrassment. Obama is in way over his head wherever he goes. It's amazing how little he knows about recent history. Obama's handlers should load a history lesson into his teleprompter.
adaydream at 12:47 AM JST - 9th July

Barack Obama's knowledge of overseas relations is so much better than george bush it's shocking.

Instead of threatening the world, Obama tries to work with the world. < :-)
yabits at 08:01 AM JST - 13th July

Among the group was former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who said Obama appeared to have held his own in his talks with Russia’s leaders.

On Fareed Zakaria's CNN show today, a prominent leader of the Russian opposition group, Boris Nemztov, compared Obama with George W. Bush. Bush, he said, came to Russia trying to lecture Russians on how to run a democracy, and nobody took him seriously. Obama, by contrast, listened. His visit was deemed extremely more effective than anything the U.S. has done to improve U.S.-Russian relations in decades.