Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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February 8, 2009

Russia Welcomes US Proposal to Ease Bilateral Tension
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=222682B:A6F02AD83191E160694418D9AF0A89013CF5CDEF8FC051DA&
 
Russian Deputy PM Sergei Ivanov's comments come one day after US Vice
President Joe Biden said it is time to repair US-Russian ties 
Russia is welcoming signals from Washington that the United States wants
to ease strained relations with Moscow. US Vice President Joe Biden,
left, meets with the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Sergei Ivanov in
Munich, 08 Feb 2009Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov spoke to
reporters today at a security conference in Munich. His comments came
one day after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said it is time to repair
what he called "a dangerous drift" in U.S.-Russian ties. Ivanov Sunday
applauded the Biden message, describing the vice president's call to hit
the restart button in bilateral ties "very positive." Russian-U.S. ties
have grown increasingly strained in recent years, with Moscow angered
over U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in Europe. Russia also
voiced strong objections to the Bush administration's support for an
independent Kosovo. For their part, the United States and the European
Union condemned the Russian military invasion of Georgia, and Moscow!
 's subsequent recognition of two Georgian breakaway territories as
independent countries. In his Saturday speech, Vice President Biden said
the Obama administration will emphasize diplomacy, democracy and
development over the use of military force. But he said Washington will
not hesitate to defend its interests with force when necessary. Biden
also said the United States will continue to develop missile defenses
to, in his words, counter a growing Iranian capability. But he said
Washington will do so in consultation with its NATO allies and Russia.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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