US-Russia cooperation based on interests: White House
Cooperation between the US and Russia was based on mutual interests 'regardless of who the president is', White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Thursday.
Carney was asked if the US president will have the same kind of relationship with Russian president-elect Vladimir Putin that Barack Obama had with outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
"Our policy towards Russia is based on our interests and not on personalities. And the reset policy that the (US) president (Obama) pursued after he took office with Russia produced benefits for US national security interests, US commercial interests, and that is why he launched that reset and why he pursued it," Carney said.
"We obviously look forward to continuing to cooperate and work with Russia where we agree on issues, and that's regardless of who the president is," he said.
On the March 4 presidential election in Russia that saw Putin win by a landslide, Carney said: "International observers noted that Mr. Putin won a majority of the vote, but we also note the irregularities that have been reported."
"This is not a personality-based policy. It's a policy based on an approach based on US national interests and the areas where we can reach and agreement with Russia on things like Iran, on trade and other matters," the spokesman said.
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