After President Obama’s visit to Russia, it would appear that East Europeans are resting just a little bit easier. For Poland’s Rceczpospolita, columnist Jerzy Haszczynski writes in part:
“We still don’t know whether plans to build components of an anti-missile shield in our country will remain plans and nothing more. But we know, pressure from Russia notwithstanding, that the project is yet to be buried, meaning that Obama didn’t offer Medvedev the greatest gift. If he were to do so, surely it would have happened during their first meeting in the Kremlin. … Poland has not been offered up on the altar of new Russian-American relations. And apparently, neither have other post-Soviet states that Russia considers part of its sphere of influence, including Georgia, whose territorial integrity Obama mentioned.
“All of this testifies to Obama’s diplomatic skills: he has obtained help on Afghanistan, but not at the expense of his allies (who themselves are engaged there). He also managed to reinforce his host’s image, signaling that it’s Dmitry Medvedev who is his partner – and the most important man in Russia.”
In another article from Poland, this time from the Gazeta Wyborcza, columnist Waclaw Radziwinowicz writes of why he says, Russia ‘Fell in Love’ with the Obamas:
“Michelle is very popular in Russia. Her beauty, friendliness and, as the Russians put it, ‘the spark’ between her and her husband, are viewed in a sympathetic light. The fact that the president’s wife started a garden at the White House, where she grows lettuce and carrots, made her dear to the hearts of millions of Russian women. Forced by poverty, they toil year after year in their small garden allotments in order to feed their families, while the wives of government officials spend millions on luxury resorts. Yesterday, the cover of the weekly Ogoniok featured a photo of the gardening first lady, with the headline ‘Czarina of the Fields.’”
By Jerzy Haszczynski
Translated By Halszka Czarnocka
June 7, 2009
Poland – Rzeczpospolita – Original Article (Polish)
There’s nothing wrong with smiling. There’s nothing wrong with declaring a new beginning in relations between the two powers – whether it’s called a reset or a perezagruzka.
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