The Russian government says it is “disappointed” by the cancellation of Obama’s bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin, prompted by Russia’s granting of temporary asylum to NSA-leaker Edward Snowden.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs advisor, said the cancellation was a sign that the U.S. could not develop a relationship with Russia on an “equal basis,” according to the BBC.
“This decision is clearly linked to the situation with former agent of US special services [Edward] Snowden, which hasn't been created by us,” Ushakov said, adding that the invitation for President Obama to attend the bilateral meeting is still open. “Russian representatives are ready to continue working together with American partners on all key issues on the bilateral and multilateral agenda.”
Obama still plans to attend the G20 economic talks in Saint Petersburg though he has canceled the meeting with Putin.
“Following a careful review begun in July, we have reached the conclusion that there is not enough recent progress in our bilateral agenda with Russia to hold a U.S.-Russia Summit in early September,” explained White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, according to the Washington Post.
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