US president Barack Obama today lauded the Russian strongman for the "extraordinary work" he has done for the progress of the former communist state.
Days after describing premier Vladimir Putin as someone who still has "one foot in the past," US president Barack Obama today lauded the Russian strongman for the "extraordinary work" he has done for the progress of the former communist state.
Obama, who had a two-hour-long meeting with Putin over a lavish breakfast at the Russian prime minister's countryside residence in the picturesque Novo Ogoryovo estate near here, appreciated his host's contribution to the revival of Russia after the Soviet collapse.
"I am aware of the extraordinary work you have done as president in previous years and in your current role as prime minister. And this meeting provides an opportunity to put US-Russian relations on a much stronger basis," the US president said.
Welcoming Obama, Putin said, "We link your name with our hopes for the development of Russian-US relations."
The US president, in a pre-visit interview, had said Putin still has "one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new"
Before the visit, experts here said that the meeting with Putin would be a test of Obama's leadership and the success of his "reset" mission to Moscow hinged on his ability to strike a rapport with the Russian strongman and president Medvedev's mentor.
During a joint press conference with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev at Kremlin yesterday, Obama said he believed the Medvedev-Putin "tandem" was working effectively.
"My strong impression is that president Medvedev and prime minister Putin are working very effectively together and our interest is in working together with the Russian government as a whole in order to achieve the improved bilateral relationship that I think can be accomplished," he said.
Obama, on his first visit to Russia since becoming president, yesterday inked a landmark strategic arms reduction treaty with Medvedev.
Ties between the two Cold-War rivals have been marked with several strains, including over arms control, NATO expansion, and US missile defense plans for Europe.
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