Will our two leaders Dmitriy Medvedev and Barack Obama be able to establish a constructive dialogue between the countries and generate new forces to move bilateral relations forward? Questions like this one now worry not only scholars, analysts, and politicians, but also members of the business community.

The remarks of the new State Department head Hillary Clinton at the Senate confirmation hearing look encouraging to the proponents of Russian-American cooperation.

“President Obama and I seek a future of cooperative engagement with the Russian government on matters of strategic importance, while standing strongly for American values and international norms,” said Clinton.

On January 15, 2009, Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev met at his Gorki residence with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States Sergei Kislyak. Ambassador Kislyak received his post in the U.S. on July 29, 2008. Based on the results of the meeting of Ambassador Kislyak and President Medvedev, one could understand clearly how Moscow would want to conduct its dialogue with Washington.

Dmitriy Medvedev stated that he is counting on the development of constructive relations with the United States under the Obama administration. Moreover, according to the Russian President, Moscow is ready to begin the discussion.

“Certainly, we trust that with the new administration in place, the relations between our countries will develop adequately. Of late, there have been numerous problems that came up in our relations,” the President told the Ambassador.

Dmitriy Medvedev intends to raise the topic of “firm and active relations” during his first meeting with Barack Obama. President Medvedev indicated that, while the positions of Moscow and Washington diverge on several issues, the two countries have much in common.

The President explained that Russia and the United States should work together on daily basis to deal with the global financial crisis, to counter the threat of terrorism, to fight organized crime and drug trafficking, as well as to limit the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

President Medvedev emphasized the great importance of economic cooperation. 

“In the last several years the volume of trade between our countries grew steadily, and, in spite of the current economic downturn, I hope that the trading relations will be even better in the future,” the President noted.

Ambassador Kislyak reassured the President that he will continue to concentrate on the issues discussed at the meeting in striving to develop bilateral relations between Russia and the United States.