Dmitry Medvedev

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The European Union and Russia hope to lay the foundations of a new economic and political partnership at a summit on Wednesday despite differences over energy, trade, human rights and climate change. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the EU's Swedish presidency will seek to rebuild trust shattered during Russia's war with Georgia last year but boosted by a deal this week on an "early warning" mechanism to shield Europe from supply cuts. They are setting their sights low for now, especially as the EU fears gas supplies from Russia are threatened by a dispute between Moscow and Ukraine, but hope at ... Read Full Story

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian and U.S. leaders meet in Singapore on Sunday as the clock is ticking for the world's two leading nuclear powers to strike a new arms cuts deal. Officials on both sides said U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are also expected to discuss Iran's nuclear program and Afghanistan during their 90-minute talks on the sidelines of a regional summit. "Each meeting with the U.S. president gives a new substantial impetus to bilateral ties," Sergei Prikhodko, Medvedev's chief foreign policy adviser, told reporters ahead of the meeting. "We are sure Sunday's meeting will not be an exception," ... Read Full Story

US President Barack Obama on Sunday won the strongest backing yet from Russia on the Iranian nuclear crisis as he warned that Tehran was "running out of time". Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said after talks with Obama that neither he nor the US leader were satisfied with the pace of progress, as Tehran drags its feet over its response to a UN-sponsored nuclear enrichment deal. Obama described as "fair" the proposal, which would see states including Russia help the Islamic republic enrich uranium. "Unfortunately, so far at least, Iran has been unable to say yes," he said. "We now are running out of time ... Read Full Story

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday the world was running out of time in using diplomatic means to resolve a crisis over Iran's nuclear program. The United States had been willing to give Iran time to decide whether to accept a U.N.-brokered deal meant to allay suspicions it is after atomic bombs but which has drawn Iranian objections, a U.S. diplomat said a week ago. Both Obama and Medvedev, speaking after they held talks on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific meeting in Singapore, suggested patience was running low. "Unfortunately, so far at least, Iran appears to ... Read Full Story

President Dmitry Medvedev Saturday promised that protectionist measures imposed by Russia would end after the economic crisis, saying Asia-Pacific leaders were obliged to remove trade barriers. Medvedev, whose country controversially hiked tariffs on imported vehicles to protect the Russian car industry in the crisis, said restoring global trade volumes was key to recovery. He said leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum had to "do anything we can to refrain from protectionism in any sphere". Medvedev was warmly welcomed as a reforming Russian leader in his speech at the forum's business summit, two days after he set out a vision for the modernization ... Read Full Story