Prime Minister Putin Wants Improved U.S. Ties

November 24. 2008

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who reportedly plans to make a bigger comeback in 2009, has today expressed his wish for improved ties with the United States. President George W. Bush's planned missile shield caused much offense in the Russian government, as it calls for the strategic placement of weapons in neighboring countries like Poland.

By all means protect America, but the missile shield is a bad idea in its current format. Bush has destroyed America’s name in the world with the deceitful Iraq war, to the point that other nations are extremely suspicious and distrusting of the United States. As such they do not want missiles in their backyard pointing right at them.

Bush was kidding himself when he thought any communist nation would approve of such a move. Bush’s plan is endangering Poland, among others. Not to mention, Cuba is right next-door to America and would undoubtedly get drawn into Russia's defense system. Therefore, neither America or Russia would have a true blanket of protection.

A missile shield can be penetrated and cause great damage if said weapon is launched directly into the center of a nation and the world does not need that to happen to any country. It would mushroom outwards and wreak havoc. Every nation needs to commit itself to peaceful existence and disarmament. The goal should be to preserve all human life and nurture the earth.

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Putin hopes for better ties with US under Obama

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's leaders said Monday they hope the United States will scrap its missile defense system in Europe and be more willing to negotiate a nuclear arms control deal once U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes office. The comments by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his successor as president, Dmitry Medvedev, appeared to be the strongest signal yet that the Kremlin would like to step back from confrontation with the United States.

Putin said that Russia so far has failed to negotiate an extension or replacement of the 1991 START arms reduction treaty in talks with U.S. officials, but added that a deal could be struck with Obama's administration. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expires at the end of next year, significantly cut U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals.

"We hope that the new U.S. leadership will be more constructive, responsible and — this is quite important — farsighted," compared to their predecessors, Putin said in a speech at a lawyers' conference Monday, which was carried by Russian news agencies. Medvedev said he hopes Obama's administration will scrap plans for missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic that have badly strained ties between Moscow and Washington under U.S. President George W. Bush.

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