Obama gets back to diplomacy Thursday with Russian President

June 24, 2010

USA Today

Mimi Hall and David Jackson

One reason that President Obama wanted to wrap up the Stanley McChrystal matter today: He has a big meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev tomorrow, a run-up to this weekend's G-20 summit up in Canada.

Our colleague Mimi Hall tells us what to expect from Obama's confab with the Russian leader:

Aides say this meeting - the leaders' seventh - will be about broadening the countries' relationship beyond such perennial issues as arms control and security.

"Both presidents feel strongly that there's great potential in the U.S.-Russia relationship that extends beyond some of these flashpoint issues," says National Security Council spokesman Ben Rhodes.

To that end, the presidents will focus on increasing economic ties. After an Oval Office meeting and East Room press conference, the leaders will head across Lafayette Park to the nearby U.S. Chamber of Commerce to meet with U.S. and Russian business leaders.

Medvedev took at look at some of this country's most innovative businesses today. Stopping in California's Silicon Valley, he met with the founders of Twitter, created his own Twitter account - KremlinRussia - and sent out a tweet.

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