The presidents of Russia and the United States agreed in a phone call to meet soon and confirmed readiness to work on restoring Russian American relations. The talks focused on shared challenges, the global financial crisis, nonproliferation, counterterrorism, and settlement in the Middle East and Afghanistan. The article also recalls the disagreements that strained ties under George Bushs administration.
The presidents of Russia and the United States agreed yesterday during a telephone conversation to meet in the near future. This was reported by the Kremlin press service.The Russian president congratulated B. Obama on taking office as head of state and wished him success. The sides confirmed their readiness to make every effort to restore the potential of Russian-American relations.
During the conversation, it was noted that Russia and the United States face a common task - combating the consequences of the global financial crisis. In the view of the leaders of the two countries, there are common challenges that require the joining of efforts - first and foremost, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the fight against terrorism. D. Medvedev and B. Obama also stressed the importance of resolving the crisis in the Middle East and the situation around Afghanistan.
During the George W. Bush administration, relations between Russia and the United States were complicated, in particular, by Washington's plans to expand NATO and deploy missile defense systems near Russia's borders. In addition, the White House opposed Russia's recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On Monday, Obama also spoke by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.