MOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin greeted Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday with a volley of complaints about trade, while another top Russian official voiced caution about the Obama administration’s campaign for tough sanctions on Iran.
Clinton’s meetings, at the end of a two-day trip, reflected continuing tensions in the U.S.-Russia relationship a year after the Obama administration launched a “reset.” Although the two have moved closer on issues such as arms control and Afghanistan, cooperation remains difficult.
Putin agreed only at the last minute to receive Clinton, and used what was supposed to be a photo op at his ornate dacha outside Moscow to criticize U.S. sanctions and trade laws in front of reporters.
The prime minister — considered by many to be the real power in Russia — started out by greeting Clinton in their first meeting since she became secretary of state. Then, sitting across from her in a gilt-edged chair, he launched into a list of complaints about the drop in U.S. trade during the economic crisis, Russia’s difficulties in joining the World Trade Organization and U.S. sanctions that have affected Russian companies. The latter subject appeared to be a reference to penalties on firms doing business with Iran, Syria and North Korea.
Clinton looked unfazed by the blunt lecture, which her aides attributed to the desire of a politician to perform for the Russian TV cameras on a domestically important issue. She highlighted how the two sides were coming close to a nuclear arms-control agreement and mentioned a recent visit by high-tech executives to Russia organized by the State Department and White House.
