Correspondent Jessica Golloher examines some of the challenges for Russia and the United States as leaders of both countries tout a message of cooperation following President Obama’s visit to Moscow.
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LISA MULLINS: I’m Lisa Mullins, and this is The World, a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH, Boston. Well, they said all the right things in Moscow today. Barack Obama urged the Russian people to join Americans in burying the antagonism of the Cold War. And Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told Mister Obama, “With you, we link all our hopes for the furtherance of relations between our two countries.” President Obama is completing his visit to Russia, and it appears to have been a productive visit. But it’s gonna take more than nice words and good intentions to bridge the troubled waters between Washington and Moscow. From Moscow, Jessica Golloher explains.

JESSICA GOLLOHER: Relations between Russia and the US have been at post cold war lows, especially since Russia invaded Georgia last year. But the leaders of both countries say they’re committed to improving ties. President Dmitry Medvedev spoke last week on his video blog about how Russia would work with the US to solve the global financial crisis.

DMITRY MEDVEDEV: [TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH FROM RUSSIAN] Now is not the time to say who is suffering more, and who is stronger. Now is the time to unite our efforts.

JESSICA GOLLOHER: Medvedev’s comments were in stark contrast to his remarks several months ago. Then he blamed the US for the economic crisis, even that followed months of accusations against the US. Andrei Kortunov is President of the New Eurasia Foundation. He says Washington has been a convenient scapegoat for the Kremlin as the Russian economy has plummeted.

ANDREI KORTUNOV: I think many people become really concerned about the future if we continue going along this track. So, the decision has been made to do something to change the relationship for the better.

JESSICA GOLLOHER: The Russians got a little help from the US’s change in leadership. George W. Bush was widely perceived here as being insensitive to Russian interests. Kortunov says President Obama is different.

ANDREI KORTUNOV: Obama is a perfect starting point, and this is a powerful driving force of an opportunity in terms to influence the US foreign policy, which you cannot do if you’re not interacting with Americans.

JESSICA GOLLOHER: But there’s only so much that interacting with Americans can do to reverse Russia’s economic slide. That’s because Russia’s economy rises and falls with the price it gets for its oil exports, and that price has been falling. The price of crude has dropped from 147 dollars a year, to 65-dollars today. And so, even if the Obama visit is improving the atmosphere, there may be less substance than meets the eye. For example, there’s the long-standing dispute over America’s plan for a missile defense program in Eastern Europe. President Obama addressed the issue today in a speech in Moscow.

BARACK OBAMA: I know Russia opposes the planned configuration, for missile defense in Europe.  My administration is reviewing these plans to enhance the security of America, Europe and the world.  I have made it clear that this system is directed at preventing a potential attack from Iran, it has nothing to do with Russia, In fact, I want to work together with Russia on a missile defense architecture that makes us all safer.

JESSICA GOLLOHER: Despite Mr. Obama’s assurances, Mascha Lipman of the Carnegie Center in Moscow says missile defense remains a stumbling block.

MASCHA LIPMAN: Now President Obama changed the tone, changed the approach, still he cannot reach an agreement on this critical, the key issue of this summit. And no agreement has been reached.

JESSICA GOLLOHER: Agreement has been reached on Afghanistan. The US will be allowed to transport arms and military personnel across Russian land and air space into the country. But Lipman says Russia signed the deal not to cozy up to the US, but to advance it’s own self-interest.

MASCHA LIPMAN: All of the problems remain, the lack of trust, the difference in priorities, Americans and States and Russian, in the summit and in the relations in general.

JESSICA GOLLOHER: Those issues are difficult, but not impossible to resolve, according to Andrei Kortunov of the new Eurasia foundation.

ANDREI KORTUNOV: Well, I think it’s just the very beginning, I think that so far so good.  It will require a lot of patience. It will require a lot of commitment on both sides.  And I think that the good thing is that we set a certain trend. And if we keep pushing, hopefully this trend will continue.

JESSICA GOLLOHER: President Obama wrapped up his visit today with a speech to Russian advocates for human rights, the environment and education. He is scheduled to depart for the G8 summit in Italy tomorrow morning. For The World, I’m Jessica Golloher in Moscow.

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