President Barack Obama meets with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at his dacha outside Moscow, Russia, July 7, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Syria Crisis and Putin’s Return Chill U.S. Ties With Russia -- New York Times
WASHINGTON — Sitting beside President Obama this spring, the president of Russia gushed that “these were perhaps the best three years of relations between Russia and the United States over the last decade.” Two and a half months later, those halcyon days of friendship look like a distant memory.
Gone is Dmitri A. Medvedev, the optimistic president who collaborated with Mr. Obama and celebrated their partnership in March. In his place is Vladimir V. Putin, the grim former K.G.B. colonel whose return to the Kremlin has ushered in a frostier relationship freighted by an impasse over Syria and complicated by fractious domestic politics in both countries.
Read more ....
My Comment: Russia is not interested in U.S. concerns or demands .... their focus is on Europe, problems with their own sizable (and militant) Muslim community, and Asia. And where it does intersect .... such as Syria and Iran .... the Russians are trying to accommodate both parties .... an accommodation that is running opposite to U.S. interests and priorities. Hence the chill.
No comments:
Post a Comment