No Chance President Will Hold Summit in Moscow with Putin
Published at
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GettyImages(WASHINGTON) — Despite Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s expression of hope during his press conference that President Obama might change his mind and still meet with President Putin in Moscow, senior administration officials told reporters on a conference call that the meeting is not an option for the foreseeable future.
Asked what it might take for the administration to reconsider, one official simply said “We’re not expecting to hold a summit in Moscow on the margins of the G-20.”
As for when a future summit might take place, following Lavrov’s comments that the Obama Putin meeting was not cancelled, just “postponed,” the official said there was no set timeline.
“When is a summit justified? You know, when we’re able to again demonstrate why U.S.-Russian relations matter” said the official, “And we just weren’t in a position to do that.”
As for how much Edward Snowden played a role in the White House decision to call off the summit, officials echoed the president’s remarks that the decision was based on more than just Russia’s decision to grant Snowden temporary asylum.
The administration also backed up Lavrov’s comments that while the issue came up, it did not dominate Friday’s so-called “2+2 talks” between Sec. of State John Kerry, Defense Sec. Chuck Hagel, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu. There were other pressing global issues to discuss, including finding a way to make the follow-up Syrian peace talks happen in Geneva and missile defense.
One official also pointed out that while the Snowden case continues to have diplomatic implications, the logistics of the situation are ultimately being negotiated by law enforcement agencies.
Snowden was not discussed in detail, said the official, “in part because the channel for communicating, and for engaging the Russians on Mr. Snowden has been through law enforcement channels, where both sides agree it’s the appropriate place to have those conversations.”
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio