U.S.-Russian Summit Ends With Mixed Results

WSJ ^ | July 08, 2009 | JONATHAN WEISMAN, GREGORY L. WHITE and ALAN CULLISON

[RobinMasters]

MOSCOW -- President Barack Obama concluded a two-day summit with conciliatory words for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and an address that praised Russia's contribution to culture and the arts while challenging the Kremlin to change its behavior and policies.

Following some tough talk before his trip, Mr. Obama's visit to Moscow is likely to fuel criticism from some in the U.S. who see the "reset" he has proposed for relations with Russia as a series of concessions by Washington.

Whether Mr. Obama will profit from his efforts to make Russia a stronger ally depends in part on the magnanimity of Moscow, which has been skeptical of his administration. With a tight lock over all the major television channels, the Kremlin has in recent years relied on a steady anti-American message to stoke national pride and shore up its control in the country.

Cordial talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday were followed on Tuesday by what appears to have been a much tougher working breakfast with Mr. Putin, in which both sides stood their ground.

Though Mr. Putin is widely considered the dominant partner in Russia's ruling tandem, Mr. Obama has recently highlighted his common views with Mr. Medvedev, a longtime Putin aide who has cast himself as a progressive, modernizing president. Last week, Mr. Obama criticized Mr. Putin, saying he has "one foot in the old ways of doing business."

[RobinMasters]

Obama needs to have adoration from his audience. The fact that the Russians were stoic throughout his speech is very amusing. Was this speech televised ? I didn't hear much about it being on TV the way the Cairo speech was. Bammy was absolutely not loved in Russia.

[doc1019]

Yea, Putin laughing his butt off at the gullibility of Obama.

[FlingWingFlyer]

How’d that “glamour” thing with Michelle and the Russkis go over? The state run “media” had high hopes about that.

[April Lexington]

This is hysterical! The KGB funded and trained most of Obama’s cronies and Obama is a product of the KGB. Who does he think he's kidding? They OWN Obama and they control his presidency because they created his mind. Putin understands the concept of the “useful idiot.”

[KoRn]

We probably agreed to get rid of all of our nukes this year, Russia gets to keep theirs but promises to get rid of them in 20 years, and in exchange for those concessions we will abandon our plans for missile defense and we won’t intervene when Russia attacks former Soviet satellite countries. Liberal foreign policy on display. lol

[myknowledge]

The ink and paper is simply not worth signing with the Russian Federation.

Since the Soviet era, they have continued to build new missiles equipped with the same old warheads, while the United States has chopped up many of its BUFFs and burned out the fuel from its Pershing IIs, and what else?

I would have never ever signed a treaty with the Russkies. Why? Because the Kremlin goons don’t believe in a god, that they are live gods themselves.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Yes! Obama really is JFK.

Cordial talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday were followed on Tuesday by what appears to have been a much tougher working breakfast with Mr. Putin, in which both sides stood their ground.

It was the "roughest thing in my life. He just beat the hell out of me. I've got a terrible problem if he thinks I'm inexperienced and have no guts . . . ."

"both sides stood their ground" Really? Another similarity. In 1961 JFK aides and MSM toadies lied to cover the inept JFK. But hey! JFK looked good on TV!

"It was the roughest thing in my life . . . ? Hey! That's my line." JFK.

Now what? Another "missile crisis?"