US Presidential Candidates Romney and Obama on the US Attitude towards Russia

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US presidential candidate Mitt Romney previously stated: “Russia is enemy No. 1.” Now he clarified: “Russia is a geopolitical adversary. Russia is a country pursuing goals that are significantly different from ours, and we should recognize that. We should pursue our own interests, while recognizing that Russia will follow a different path.”

Incumbent US President Barack Obama said that Mitt Romney is mistaken to call Russia enemy No. 1; Romney thinks in Cold War categories. …you don’t understand that the Cold War era has passed.”

Mitt Romney

Republican US presidential candidate Mitt Romney said that the United States and Russia pursue different goals and are moving toward them along different paths, and that American leadership should recognize this.

Romney expressed these thoughts on Monday in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, which was marked by a more moderate tone in his comments about Moscow.

Earlier, Romney had called Russia “geopolitical enemy number one.” Now the words “enemy” and “number one” have disappeared, and Moscow was referred to simply as a “geopolitical adversary.”

“Russia is a geopolitical adversary,” Romney said. “They oppose everything we try to do on a global level. We try to put pressure on Iran. They oppose tough sanctions. We try to get the UN to pass a harsh resolution to stop the violence perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Yet they are supplying Syria with attack helicopters. Russia has been opposing us on the political stage for a certain period of time.”

However, the Republican candidate acknowledged that the US and Russia are different countries with different interests, implying that their disagreements are perhaps natural.

“My personal opinion is that Russia is a country pursuing goals that are considerably different from ours, and we should recognize that,” Romney said. “We should pursue our own interests, while recognizing that Russia will follow a different path.”

Barack Obama

The incumbent US president delivered a major policy speech in which he outlined his vision for foreign policy and domestic issues. Speaking about international affairs, Obama noted that Republican candidate Mitt Romney is mistaken and is a hostage of the past by calling Russia America’s “number one” enemy today.

“After all, you wouldn’t call Russia our number one enemy – not al-Qaeda – unless you understand that the Cold War era has passed,” Obama told delegates at the convention in North Carolina.

In his speech, the president devoted substantial attention to the economy, whose condition causes the greatest concern among American voters and is the cornerstone of criticism of the current occupant of the White House by his Republican opponents.

Obama noted that “our choice is a fight to restore our values and for a strong middle class and the most powerful economy.” Obama’s plan envisions the creation of a million new jobs by 2016, doubling American exports by 2014, cutting oil imports in half by 2020, and reducing the national debt by $4 trillion over the next 10 years.

In his speech, the president also paid great attention to issues of immigration, health care reform, and the repeal of the ban on military service for sexual minorities. He stressed that America is capable of confronting new challenges and reaffirming its tested leadership, drawing strength from victories and learning from mistakes.

At the Democratic Party convention, Barack Obama officially became the candidate in the US presidential election to be held on November 6. On Thursday, the convention in Charlotte concluded its work.

According to opinion polls, now, nine weeks before the presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Barack Obama have almost equal chances of victory.

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