Kremlin Sending Contradictory Signals

Yevgeny Volk / March 23, 2009

Last week President Dmitry Medvedev met with American foreign policy veterans including former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who champion better U.S.-Russian relations, and positively assessed the Obama Administration’s latest moves. Medvedev said resetting the U.S.-Russian relationship should not be limited to words but should extend to practical deeds.

Clearly, Moscow cannot help but enjoy the proposals initiated by the former and present-day U.S. opportunists to revisit the missile defense plans for the Czech Republic and Poland, to freeze the process of the NATO accession for Ukraine and Georgia, and to develop new European security architecture with Russia’s suggestions factored in. Moscow finds appealing other recommendations to Washington initiated by former senators Hart and Hagel – to show maximum restraint in criticizing Russia’s domestic policy and human rights record and actually recognize the former Soviet space as an area of Russia’s special interest. (more…)