Russia a partner, not an adversary, says Obama

LISBON - Russia is a partner for NATO, not an adversary, US President Barack Obama said Saturday as a landmark NATO-Russia summit closed in Lisbon.

At the summit, NATO and Russia agreed to launch talks on the possibility of linking their missile defence systems, in what leaders described as a “turning point” in the relationship.

“We see Russia as a partner, not as an adversary,” Obama told journalists after the talks.

Relations between Russia and the US soured dramatically during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin. Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, have both pushed for a “reset” in NATO-Russia and US-Russia relations.