Item No. 1. Obama hailed the new spirit of cooperation between the United States and Russia on a host of international issues, including Iran, through the signing of a nuclear arms reduction treaty:
“This ceremony is a testament to the truth that old adversaries can forge new partnerships,” Obama declared. “It is just one step on a longer journey.”
Item No. 2. No sooner had the treaty been signed, then the Russians promptly stated it would be null and void if the U.S. developed a missile shield to protect the U.S. and our allies against Iranian missiles:
… even as the agreement was sealed, Russia gave warning that an expansion of America’s planned missile shield would derail the deal, which is the result of months of tense discussions
Item No. 3. No sooner had the treaty been signed, then the Russians stated that the signing of the treaty did not mean cooperation in strong sanctions on Iran:
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told President Obama privately on Thursday that there remain limits to his country’s support for sanctions on Iran, even as the move for united action to restrain Iran’s nuclear ambition accelerates.
Item No. 4. As the treaty was being signed, a Russian-engineered rebellion in Kyrgyzstan resulted in a pro-Russian provisional government whose first priority is shutting down a U.S. base vital to resupply of our troops in Afghanistan:
Kyrgyzstan’s self-proclaimed new leadership said on Thursday that Russia had helped to oust President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and that they aimed to close a U.S. airbase that has irritated Moscow.
Their comments set Wednesday’s overthrow of Bakiyev, who fled the capital Bishkek as crowds stormed government buildings, firmly in the context of superpower rivalry in central Asia.
No sooner had presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed an arms reduction pact in Prague as part of an effort to “reset” strained relations than a senior official in Medvedev’s delegation urged Kyrgyzstan’s new rulers to shut the base.
Oh, by the way, How’s That Iran Negotiation Going?
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