Only four of the ten joint statements of Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama released after completion of the visit of the President of Russia to the US are connected with international security. The parties confirmed the need for ratification of the treaty on reduction of strategic offensive arms (START) signed in Prague in April and agreed to continue exchange of data about missile launches and creation of a system of global monitoring of these launches in the future and spoke «in favor of strengthening of the regime of control over conventional arms in Europe.» The latter means solving of the problems related to the conventional forces in Europe treaty (CFE). Russia froze its participation in the CFE in 2007 after the new NATO members refused to ratify its modified version. The US and Russia also adopted a statement on combating of terrorism (it was decided to organize joint military exercises), on Afghanistan (transit there through Russia will be broadened) and on Kyrgyzstan (for the soonest stabilization and establishment of democracy). A source in the Russian delegation says that the statement on Kyrgyzstan means that both countries that have military bases in Kyrgyzstan will abstain from unilateral steps and will have consultations about the measures that should lead to destabilization of the situation. Of the remaining six statements too have a humanitarian nature and four deal with economy and development of technologies, for example, entrance into WTO. The two agreements on Skolkovo signed during the visit of Medvedev are dedicated to the same topics. According to the source in the Russian delegation, the statements in the field of security were promoted by the American party more, whereas the Russian delegation put an emphasis on economic cooperation. The source added that the US persistently proposed continuation of nuclear disarmament in the form of the measures for limitation of tactical nuclear weapons, but Moscow looked at this process more cautiously and was not sure that it would receive benefits from it.
Dean of MGIMO Ivan Safranchuk says that such attitude of Moscow is quite explainable. Security topics related to nuclear weapons and third countries like Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan have dominated in the Russian-American relations for a long time. Having adopted a course at modernization, Russia saw a different benefit in relations with the US was not enthusiastic about return to recalculation of warheads.
