White House official says Obama, Putin meeting ‘formed basis of a good relation’

October 6th, 2009 White House: Delay of Dalai Lama meeting mutualWASHINGTON — The White House says the decision to delay a meeting between President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama was mutual. The Tibetan spiritual leader is in Washington to receive an award, but won't meet with the president.

September 20th, 2009 White House sends team to Olympic meeting siteWASHINGTON — The White House is sending an advance team to Copenhagen, Denmark, to make preparations in case President Barack Obama decides to attend the International Olympic Committee's meeting there next month, an administration official says. The committee will choose a host city for the 2016 summer Olympics during the Oct.

August 18th, 2009 AP source: Immigration a topic at White HouseWASHINGTON — The White House plans to host a discussion on immigration on Thursday with advocates, faith-based groups, businesses and law enforcement officials. An administration official says that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will lead the discussion.

August 2nd, 2009 CHKALOV ISLAND - Keeping up his action man image, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has recently and set up a satellite transmitter on a white whale diving into sea in Russia's Far East region and told the animal not to be so angry. During his visit to Chkalov Island in Russia's Far East Khabarovsk region Friday, Putin met the scientists studying white whales' behaviour, migration patterns and habitats.

July 7th, 2009 MOSCOW - US President Barack Obama began his first meeting with Vladimir Putin Tuesday morning at the Russian prime minister's country residence outside Moscow. Obama, on his first visit to Russia since becoming president, held extensive talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday, resulting in a framework agreement for a new strategic arms reduction treaty.

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 6th, 2009 Obama trusts Medvedev to follow throughMOSCOW — President Barack Obama says he trusts Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (dih-MEE'-tree med-VYEH'-dyev) to follow through on the agreements the two leaders have announced at their summit in Moscow. The agreements include a preliminary deal to reduce both nations' stockpiles of nuclear warheads.

July 5th, 2009 US-Russia framework deal on arms control expectedMOSCOW — The White House said Sunday it expects President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to announce progress in negotiations that could lead to a new nuclear arms control treaty by the end of the year. Gary Samore, the president's coordinator for weapons of mass destruction, didn't offer any details on a possible agreement, but he said it will "register some progress." Obama is scheduled to arrive Monday in Moscow for two days of meetings.

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 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 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 ...

July 2nd, 2009 Obama says Putin lives partly in pastWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is describing Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as someone who still has "one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new." He says one reason he's meeting with Putin — as well as with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (dih-MEE'-tree med-VYEH'-dyev) — during his upcoming visit to Moscow is that he wants Putin to know that "the old Cold War approaches" to relations with the United States are "outdated." Obama says Putin "still has sway" in Russia. He also says the U.S.

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.

March 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama met with former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev here last Friday, the White House has confirmed. The meeting was not on Obama's official daily schedule.

January 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush will host former presidents and his successor, Barack Obama, at the White House for a private meeting during lunch Wednesday, the White House said.