Posted on 07/02/2009 3:20:13 PM PDT by Schnucki
Barack Obama yesterday accused Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, of "living in the past" and indulging in Cold War thinking on the eve of his first trip to Russia as US president.
Mr Obama described the former president, who remains the country's dominant political force, as someone who still has "one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new".
He said one reason he will meet Mr Putin, as well as Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, during his visit next week is that he wanted Mr Putin to know that "the old Cold War approaches" to relations with the United States were "outdated".
The US president told the Associated Press that he was developing a "very good relationship" with Mr Medvedev, whom he met in London at the G20 summit in April.
At the time, the two leaders readily agreed to move quickly to hammer out an accord for shrinking their countries' nuclear arsenals, a pact that would replace the 1991 Start I treaty that expires in December.
Both sides have been tight-lipped about preparatory talks, but negotiators are expected to narrow differences enough to allow the leaders to possibly announce a framework for a deal next week.
However, also at stake is the credibility of the Obama administration's pledge to "press the reset button" on US-Russia relations, which sank to a post-Cold War low under George W Bush and Mr Putin.
Mr Obama's forthright remarks were a strong signal that he expects Moscow to match his commitment to improving the tone in the two sides' conversation.
Michael McFaul, a senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs at the White House, said that the Russian elite too commonly thought of the US as an "adversary".
"I'm sure many would use harsher words among
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Shoot, I wish Putin were our president. At least he knows what he is doing.
Not to mention a few other world leaders are afraid of provoking him.
Look, I have no use for Putin, but....what the hell kind of diplomacy is this?
Teleprompter must have been on the blink.
.... And he’s really good with the press. :p
At least Putin is a nationalist and pro-Russian people. Putin has many many problems but light years smarter and better than Obama.
The list, ping
Putin is going to eat Obama’s (blessings be upon him) lunch.
Putin and Medvedev are laughing their ruskie arses off at us for electing this clown.
Putin’s living in the past? Talk about a lot of balls. What is this guy smoking? Marxism has been thoroughly discredited by history, but this guy embraces it like a newborn baby. If anyone hasn’t been convinced up till now, this should surely push any doubters over the edge-—the guy is f*****g crazy.
Putin and Bush has great personal relationship I thought.
This is true. Typically a president doesn't personally insult a leader when he's getting ready to travel to their country to meet with them. lol
What’s that old pot and kettle story??
Putin also understand capitalism better and alot more anti-socialism than obama
Isn’t Obama living in the past with his Carter style foreign policy?
Littlest. President. Ever.
I am reminded of when Nikita Khrushchev sized up JFK (wrongly, it turned out) and installed missles in Cuba.
Our Wee President is genuinely lacking in so many areas, that I fear Vlad is going to be tempted to try something as well.
What the hell is it with all this Putin admiration on FR?
Putin has six 0bambi burgers before lunch, for a snack.
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