Next stop: Moscow

Obama continues his global tour with a trip to Russia, where serious questions loom.

Miriam ElderJuly 3, 2009 09:42Updated May 30, 2010 11:59

Will they still be smiling when President Barack Obama comes to Moscow next week? Here, Obama meets Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in London April 1, 2009. (Jason Reed/Reuters)

MOSCOW — On the eve of his first visit to Russia since taking office, President Barack Obama accused Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of having “one foot” in the Cold War.

That’s something many people might think, but it’s not something that’s often said.

“It’s important that even as we move forward with President Dmitry Medvedev that Putin understand that the old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russian relations is outdated — that it’s time to move forward in a different direction,” Obama told The Associated Press in an interview.

“I think Medvedev understands that,” he said. “I think Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new.”

Obama’s blunt and provocative comments are the clearest indication yet that his July 6-8 visit to Moscow will be the latest stop in a tour to reshape U.S. policy, rather than just diplomatic theater.

There is a lot at stake. U.S.-Russian relations have spiraled to a post-Cold War low, and a question that many thought dead has once again entered the dialogue — are Washington and Moscow doomed to antagonism because of a fundamentally opposed worldview?

“In general, the U.S. and Russia don’t have a clear idea of what they need from each other in the 21st century,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor of Russia in Global Affairs.

There have been some positive signs ahead of Obama’s visit to Moscow. Yet few analysts here are taking the view, promoted in the U.S., that we stand on the brink of a fundamental “reset” of relations.

“I would not expect miracles,” said Vyacheslav Nikonov, a Kremlin-connected political analyst. “Besides the reset, which presupposes the possibility of quick fixes, we need an upgrading of the computer.”

The U.S. is hoping that progress on two fronts — Afghanistan and nuclear arms reductions — can launch a wider dialogue.

Last week, the U.S. won the right to continue using the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, an important base for the war in nearby Afghanistan. Russia was believed to behind the Central Asian nation’s decision to evict U.S. troops, and its approval was sought when the U.S. and Kyrgyzstan announced the move’s surprise reversal.

“The whole story about kicking the Americans out from Manas was an important demonstration for Russia to show who is in charge, who is the boss in that region,” Lukyanov said.

Secondly, a renewed push has been given to talks to negotiate a successor to START, a key Cold War-era treaty governing nuclear stockpiles that is due to expire in December.