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Medvedev: Obama and I Must Work Together

Russian president praises and needles US in op-ed

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 31, 2009 7:57 AM CDT

(Newser) – Relations between the US and Russia were testy, to say the least, by the end of 2008—a condition for which Dmitry Medvedev, not surprisingly, blames Washington. In a needling op-ed for the Washington Post, the Russian president writes that the proposed missile defense system and support for Georgia and Ukraine's NATO bids "undermined Russia's interests." But Medvedev, who will meet Barack Obama for the first time in London tomorrow, has hope that the "toxic assets" of American policy can be cleaned up.

"Neither Russia nor the United States can tolerate drift and indifference in our relations," the president writes. He outlines areas for cooperation, from disarmament and Afghanistan to financial regulatory reform—though he also thinks the idea of a "world supranational reserve currency" to replace the dollar deserves consideration. Medvedev ends with warm words for Obama and the US, saying, "I firmly believe that at this turn of history, we should work together."

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (2)]

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov seen at the Kubinka airfield near Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev puts on a blue helmet before his flight in an Su-34 bomber jet at the Kubinka airfield near Moscow in Kubinka, Russia, Saturday, March 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Dmitry Medvedev will meet with Baarck Obama when he travels to London next week. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meet at the Gorki residence outside Moscow, Friday, March 27, 2009. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Mikhail Klimentyev, Presidential Press Service)

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President Obama's inaugural address deeply impressed me with its unbiased assessment of America's problems. I agree that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. - Dmitry Medvedev, Russian president

The world expects Russia and the US to take energetic steps to establish a climate of trust and goodwill in global politics, not to languish in inaction and disengagement. We cannot fail to meet those expectations. - Dmitry Medvedev, Russian president

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Medvedev: Obama and I Must Work Together