PHOTO: AFP/FILE
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has cancelled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for next month in Moscow, the White House said on Wednesday.
The Obama administration has repeatedly expressed disappointment after Moscow granted temporary asylum to former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, rejecting US pleas to hand him over to face criminal charges including espionage.
The White House, in a statement, said it valued "achievements made" between Russia and the United States, but cited a "lack of progress" on a host of other issues "such as missile defense and arms control, trade and commercial relations, global security issues, and human rights and civil society."
"Russia's disappointing decision to grant Edward Snowden temporary asylum was also a factor that we considered in assessing the current state of our bilateral relationship," the statements said.
Obama plans to add a stop in Sweden as part of this travels to the G20 summit in early September, a White House official said.
On Tuesday, Obama confirmed that he would go to Russia this
fall for a G20 summit in St Petersburg, Russia, but said he was
"disappointed" with Moscow's decision on Snowden.
In a talk show on television late Tuesday night, Obama accused Russians of occasionally displaying a "Cold War mentality".
Senator Charles Schumer praised Obama's decision to cancel
the bilateral summit with Putin.
"The President clearly made the right decision. President Putin is acting like a school-yard bully and doesn't deserve the respect a bilateral summit would have accorded him," the New York Democrat said in a statement.
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@Truth Detector: this is not a fare world.......must wait for our times.........not wise to antagonise Super power for small egos..........
@AnisAqeel: What are you talking about, what Russia did is absolutely based on human rights, and what USA is trying is terrorism or dictatorship. Hats off to Russia, I feel very proud of Russians giving asylum to Snowden, it needs humanity and guts.
@AnisAqeel
Imagine. A person working for Russian intelligence exposes some illegal activities affecting not only Russians but the whole world & then takes refuge in US. Will US hand him over to Russia? Can you imagine it even for a second? Hence your logic for Russian criticism is convoluted. Think again. I know many on this forum try to defend us on one pretext or the other but you cannot simply defy logic.
How many Russians wanted by Russia have been extradited by US to Russia. Hypocrisy has no limits !!!
This can damage relation for a little while but a right decision and Russia must pay in the form of some heavy economic losses so to be careful in future and bullying/blackmailing or pocketing unethical advantage in this case.