AP Interview: Obama says Putin still has ‘outdated’ view of US-Russia relationship

August 1st, 2009 IRKUTSK - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who prides himself over his 'macho' image, on Saturday boarded a mini-submarine in southern Siberia in Russia and dived to the bottom of Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world and the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume. The 56 year-old was seen boarding the Mir-1 submarine before being hoisted into the water to begin his journey into the lake, which is also known as the "Blue Eye of Siberia," and contains more water than all of the North American Great Lakes combined, the AAP reported.

July 30th, 2009 Russia to run 7.5 pct budget deficit next yearMOSCOW — Russia will next year run a budget deficit equivalent to 7.5 percent of annual economic output, the highest deficit the country can afford, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Russia is facing its biggest economic test in a decade and is this year running a budget deficit of 9.4 percent of gross domestic product — its first deficit in a decade.

July 30th, 2009 Russia to run 7.5 pct deficit in 2010MOSCOW — Russia will next year run a budget deficit equivalent to 7.5 percent of annual economic output, the highest deficit the country can afford without hurting economic stability, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Russia is facing its biggest economic test in a decade and is this year running a budget deficit of 9.4 percent of gross domestic product — its first deficit in a decade.

July 7th, 2009 Official: Obama, Putin established 'good relation'MOSCOW — A White House official says President Barack Obama and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin "formed the basis of a good relation" during a two-hour meeting at Putin's residence outside Moscow. Before heading to Russia last week, Obama told the Associated Press in an interview that Putin "has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new." But after meeting the Russian leader, a senior administration official described Obama's reaction this way: "I would say he's very convinced that the prime minister is a man of today and he's got his eyes firmly on the future." The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the private details of the meeting, said Obama and Putin shared concerns about terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

July 7th, 2009 Putin says Obama meeting went wellMOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says his first meeting with President Barack Obama went "very well." The former Russian president called the two-hour meeting "substantive, informative and collaborative." Putin told reporters he and Obama "covered the issues from previous years" and found "many positives" and "many points in common." Obama also had good things to say about their meeting Tuesday, and said he found Putin's views similar to those of Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev. Before heading to Russia, Obama had described Putin as still having a confrontational Cold War mentality, while the younger Medvedev seemed to understand that it was time for a new approach to U.S.-Russia relations.

July 3rd, 2009 Spokesman: Obama wrong about Russian premier PutinMOSCOW — President Barack Obama was wrong to suggest Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin remains partially mired in a Cold War mindset and is sure to change his opinion when they meet next week in Moscow, Putin's spokesman said Friday. Obama said in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press that Putin needs to understand "that the old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russian relations is outdated, that it's time to move forward in a different direction." Obama said he believes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "understands that," but Putin "has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new." Obama makes his first trip as U.S.

July 3rd, 2009 Obama tells Russia's Putin the Cold War is historyWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said former Russian President Vladimir Putin and his hand-picked successor should expect an in-person reminder the Cold War is over when the U.S. leader makes his first trip to a Moscow summit.

July 3rd, 2009 Putin responds to Obama's criticismMOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says the U.S. president is wrong to suggest he remains mired in a Cold War mindset.

July 2nd, 2009 Putin has 'one foot in old ways,' Obama saysWASHINGTON — On the eve of a trip to Moscow, President Barack Obama chided Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday for keeping "one foot in the old ways of doing business." By contrast, he said Putin's handpicked successor as president understands that Cold War behavior is outdated. In a White House interview with The Associated Press, the president said he will meet with both Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev on his trip, in hopes they can "move in concert in cooperating with us on some critical issues." On an important domestic issue, Obama said the Supreme Court was "moving the ball" on affirmative action in this week's decision favoring white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., but he added that the court had not ruled out the use of racial preferences.

July 2nd, 2009 Highlights from Obama's AP interviewHighlights of President Barack Obama's interview Thursday with The Associated Press: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION The nation's first African American president said a recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., doesn't close the door on thoughtful efforts at affirmative action aimed at maintaining diversity in the workplace or in college admissions. He cautioned that affirmative action "hasn't been as potent a force for racial progress as advocates would claim, and it hasn't been as bad on white students seeking admissions or seeking a job as its critics have said." GUANTANAMO DETAINEES Obama said he's open to the idea of detaining certain Guantanamo Bay terror suspects someplace else for prolonged periods, but it may turn out that he won't be comfortable with any proposals to do that.

July 2nd, 2009 Obama interview: Too many jobs lostWASHINGTON — With joblessness rising, President Barack Obama said Thursday he was "deeply concerned" about unemployment and conceded that too many families are worried about "whether they will be next" to suffer economically. In a White House interview with The Associated Press, Obama said that since he took office, "we have successfully stabilized the financial markets," and "started to see some stabilization on housing." "But what we are still seeing is too many jobs lost," said Obama, commenting after new government figures showed the unemployment rate had risen to 9.5 percent last month.

July 2nd, 2009 Court 'moved ball' on racial hiring, Obama saysWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Thursday the Supreme Court was "moving the ball" on affirmative action in this week's decision favoring white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., but he added that the court had not ruled out the use of racial preferences in the future. In a White House interview with The Associated Press, the president also said, "I don't think that hiring on the basis of race ...

June 12th, 2009 Putin sends 85th birthday wishes to Bush Sr.MOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram wishing former U.S. President George H.W.

June 10th, 2009 Russia might abandon nukes if other countries doMOSCOW — Russian news agencies are quoting Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as saying that Russia is willing to abandon nuclear weapons if the United States and all other countries that have them do the same. State-owned RIA Novosti quotes Putin as saying that, "if those who made the atomic bomb and used it are ready to abandon it — like, I hope, other nuclear powers — of course we will welcome and facilitate this process in all ways." Interfax and RIA Novosti reported that Putin made the comments during a meeting Wednesday with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

April 23rd, 2009 MOSCOW - There is outrage in the ruling United Russia party over a new brand of ice cream bearing the name of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The local branch of the party in Lipezk is angry about what it called the lack of political good taste and the profanation of his name, the Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported Wednesday.