Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

US vs. Russia: Who's Won Summits Past?

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 6, 2009 5:41 AM CDT

(Newser) – As Barack Obama arrives in Moscow for his toughest diplomatic challenge since taking office, the Guardian looks back on earlier US-Russia showdowns to gauge who had the upper hand.

  • Kennedy vs. Khrushchev, 1961: The ultimate cold war summit, shadowed by the space race and the Berlin Wall. A draw, although JFK might have come out slightly ahead.

  • Brezhnev vs. Nixon, 1972: Nuclear weapons took center stage, but the two had a good rapport. A narrow win for Nixon, who successfully rejiggered America's nuke strategy.
  • Reagan vs. Gorbachev, 1987: Perhaps the most famous US-Russia summit, and a major triumph for Reagan. Within a few years the so-called "evil empire" had fallen.
  • Bush vs. Putin, 2001: The president said he found Pooty-Poot charming, while the Russian spun his brutal war in Chechnya as legitimate. Putin cleaned Dubya's clock.
For other face-offs click the link below.

Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev synchronize their watches.
Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev synchronize their watches.   (Getty Images)
Vladimir Putin and George W Bush in Sochi, Russia, in 2008.
Vladimir Putin and George W Bush in Sochi, Russia, in 2008.   (Getty Images)
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and US President John F Kennedy shake hands at the US Embassy in Vienna on meeting for talks.
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and US President John F Kennedy shake hands at the US Embassy in Vienna on meeting for talks.   (Getty Images)
Richard Nixon meets Russian President Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow after the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) in 1972.
Richard Nixon meets Russian President Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow after the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) in 1972.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
Timinator2K
Jul 6, 2009 12:58 PM CDT
After Oblahblah gets off his knees apologizing profusely to the not-as-evil Empire for the the US whipping its commie butt in the cold war, things should be fine.
riffran
Jul 6, 2009 10:47 AM CDT
wellll we haven't all died in a nuclear fire as of yet....I'd say "we" the people of both countries, (or the world for that matter) have won so far...regardless of the politics involved.....just pray our good fortune holds

More Newser Stories

A History of Political Cussing

From Russia, No Obama Love

Obama Meets Putin, Touts Democracy in Speech

Paranoid Russia Poses Big Test for Obama

1988: Reagan, Right; Putin, Left


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne