Medvedev: Obama and I Must Work Together

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama began his second day in Russia by meeting with Vladimir Putin at the president-turned-prime minister's country home outside Moscow. The two leaders both expressed a desire for improved relations, and observers said they had a cordial discussion. The president then addressed a Moscow economics university, where he told students that the US and Russia are not "destined to be antagonists." More»

(AP) - Barack Obama opened his first Moscow summit with confidence today, predicting "extraordinary progress" out of meetings set to test his diplomatic skills on important priorities such as nuclear arsenal reductions and the fight in Afghanistan. "The United States and Russia have more in common than they have differences," he said as he sat down for talks with Dmitry Medvedev. More»

President's trip to Moscow will be hard work, no fun

(NEWSER) - The last time Barack Obama went to Russia, he and another senator were detained by border guards for hours—and his upcoming trip won't be much fun either, say the editors of the Economist. Russia's economy is beholden to unstable oil and gas prices, the country's mortality rate is spiking, and the political system has devolved into "a pretense of democracy." Obama must placate Moscow's "kleptocratic courtiers and former spies" without coming off as a pushover. More»

President will visit Moscow in July

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev pledged to "move beyond Cold War mentalities" at their first ever meeting, at the American ambassador's residence in London. The two presidents agreed to negotiate a new weapons treaty that would see both countries reduce their nuclear stockpiles—the first such talks for more than a decade. Obama also accepted an invitation to visit Moscow this July. More»

US, Russia no closer on defense system in Eastern Europe, but more polite about it

(NEWSER) - Moscow talks between top US diplomats and their Russian counterparts haven't edged the two sides any closer to deals on a proposed US missile shield in Eastern Europe and a nuclear-arms reduction treaty, the Financial Times reports. Condoleezza Rice heads home empty-handed, but US-Russia relations at least seem to have thawed a touch after hitting post-Cold War lows. More»