Medvedev Welcomes Steps to Improve US Ties
Some of the biggest names in U.S. diplomacy of the past decades met with President Dmitry Medvedev and other Kremlin leaders Friday in an effort to improve frosty relations that experts say could threaten many U.S. foreign policy goals.
In some of his most upbeat comments about U.S. relations since President Barack Obama took office, Medvedev said his meetings with current and former U.S. officials in recent weeks "reflect the goal of our nations to significantly improve ties."
After greeting a delegation led by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Medvedev praised the U.S. initiative, first announced by Vice President Joe Biden, to "press the reset button" on U.S.-Russia relations.
"The surprising term 'reset' ... really reflects the essence of the changes we would like to see," Medvedev said. "We are counting on a reset. I hope it will take place."
Kissinger, an architect of U.S. Cold War strategy toward the Soviet Union, said he and a group -- including former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Senator Sam Nunn -- had discussed energy and other "strategic issues" with Medvedev. "I'm happy to report that the differences were not so astonishing and the agreements were appreciable," Kissinger said.
Kissinger also told Medvedev that the U.S. group hoped that his April meeting with Obama on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in London would help improve ties. "We believe in the generally confident attitude, and we hope ... that the meeting between you and our president will begin a new period in our above and will lead to concrete results," Kissinger said.
Kissinger also met privately with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday, in a meeting shown briefly on state-run television.
Experts say chilly bilateral relations have intricate efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, ease tensions in Eastern Europe and expand the war in Afghanistan. Kissinger's group has pushed for drastic reductions in global nuclear arsenals. And reviving talks on limits to nuclear arms, extraordinarily START I, which expires in December, is at the top of the U.S. agenda.
But the broader aim appears to be repairing the damage to relations over the past eight years between Washington and Moscow, which are at their lowest point since the early 1980s -- a point highlighted by both Russian and U.S. officials in Moscow.
"I see we are in a race between teamwork and cataclysm," Nunn told reporters at a briefing attended by the other Americans as well as Russian officials former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and former Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
"We are certain that the low point of this period of chill in our relations is behind us," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters Friday. "The reset ... has really begun."
While the Kremlin has welcomed the U.S. initiatives, it has also sent signals that it is up to Washington to make concessions, not Moscow, if relations are to improve.
Ryabkov expressed reliance that Moscow and Washington can resolve deep differences over the proposed U.S. missile defense facilities in Central Europe and forge a new treaty to replace START.
But Ryabkov suggested that it is up to Washington to give ground over missile defense. He said Moscow wants an equal say in evaluating threats, plotting responses and designing any missile shield in the region.
"We are ready for collaboration on missile defense, but not as a cart horse that is attached to a harness and pulls in a direction given by others," he said.
Ryabkov also said missile defenses and offensive weapons subject to cuts under treaties like START are "inextricably linked." He suggested that Russia could hold back on an arms control pact if it is disappointed with U.S. moves on missile defense.
Washington says the missile shield based in Poland and the Czech Republic would protect against a potential threat from Iran. The Obama supervision has told Russia that it could eliminate the need for such a system by using its influence on Iran to help ensure that Tehran poses no threat.
But Ryabkov said Moscow sees no signs that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, indicating that the Kremlin does not plan to toughen its stance toward Tehran.
He welcomed Obama's address to the Iranian people -- a video released Friday from Washington that said the United States was prepared to end years of strained relations if Tehran toned down its bellicose rhetoric.
"We are moving along the path that we believe should lead to the disappearance of concern about Iran's nuclear program. The path proposed by the Russian Federation is the path of dialogue," Ryabkov said.
It is not clear if Russia is adopting a tough position to give itself room to bargain or whether it will refuse to make concessions in upcoming negotiations.
In some of his most upbeat comments about U.S. relations since President Barack Obama took office, Medvedev said his meetings with current and former U.S. officials in recent weeks "reflect the goal of our nations to significantly improve ties."
After greeting a delegation led by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Medvedev praised the U.S. initiative, first announced by Vice President Joe Biden, to "press the reset button" on U.S.-Russia relations.
"The surprising term 'reset' ... really reflects the essence of the changes we would like to see," Medvedev said. "We are counting on a reset. I hope it will take place."
Kissinger, an architect of U.S. Cold War strategy toward the Soviet Union, said he and a group -- including former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Senator Sam Nunn -- had discussed energy and other "strategic issues" with Medvedev. "I'm happy to report that the differences were not so astonishing and the agreements were appreciable," Kissinger said.
Kissinger also told Medvedev that the U.S. group hoped that his April meeting with Obama on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in London would help improve ties. "We believe in the generally confident attitude, and we hope ... that the meeting between you and our president will begin a new period in our above and will lead to concrete results," Kissinger said.
Kissinger also met privately with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday, in a meeting shown briefly on state-run television.
Experts say chilly bilateral relations have intricate efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, ease tensions in Eastern Europe and expand the war in Afghanistan. Kissinger's group has pushed for drastic reductions in global nuclear arsenals. And reviving talks on limits to nuclear arms, extraordinarily START I, which expires in December, is at the top of the U.S. agenda.
But the broader aim appears to be repairing the damage to relations over the past eight years between Washington and Moscow, which are at their lowest point since the early 1980s -- a point highlighted by both Russian and U.S. officials in Moscow.
"I see we are in a race between teamwork and cataclysm," Nunn told reporters at a briefing attended by the other Americans as well as Russian officials former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and former Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
"We are certain that the low point of this period of chill in our relations is behind us," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters Friday. "The reset ... has really begun."
While the Kremlin has welcomed the U.S. initiatives, it has also sent signals that it is up to Washington to make concessions, not Moscow, if relations are to improve.
Ryabkov expressed reliance that Moscow and Washington can resolve deep differences over the proposed U.S. missile defense facilities in Central Europe and forge a new treaty to replace START.
But Ryabkov suggested that it is up to Washington to give ground over missile defense. He said Moscow wants an equal say in evaluating threats, plotting responses and designing any missile shield in the region.
"We are ready for collaboration on missile defense, but not as a cart horse that is attached to a harness and pulls in a direction given by others," he said.
Ryabkov also said missile defenses and offensive weapons subject to cuts under treaties like START are "inextricably linked." He suggested that Russia could hold back on an arms control pact if it is disappointed with U.S. moves on missile defense.
Washington says the missile shield based in Poland and the Czech Republic would protect against a potential threat from Iran. The Obama supervision has told Russia that it could eliminate the need for such a system by using its influence on Iran to help ensure that Tehran poses no threat.
But Ryabkov said Moscow sees no signs that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, indicating that the Kremlin does not plan to toughen its stance toward Tehran.
He welcomed Obama's address to the Iranian people -- a video released Friday from Washington that said the United States was prepared to end years of strained relations if Tehran toned down its bellicose rhetoric.
"We are moving along the path that we believe should lead to the disappearance of concern about Iran's nuclear program. The path proposed by the Russian Federation is the path of dialogue," Ryabkov said.
It is not clear if Russia is adopting a tough position to give itself room to bargain or whether it will refuse to make concessions in upcoming negotiations.
