The cancellation of the sale of the S-300 air-defense system by Russia to Iran, on the eve of President Dmitri Medvedev’s visit to Washington for his summit with President Obama, is a clear signal that the strategy of offering the Kremlin concrete incentives rather than vague assurances of goodwill is more likely to produce results. It is also a test, however, of the American. willingness to continue to reciprocate.
Medvedev hopes to leave Washington with a firm commitment that there will be no congressional veto of the proposed civil-nuclear agreement between Russia and America—which should pave the way for contracts that would more than compensate for any interruption of commercial ties between Moscow and Tehran, relations now already under strain because of Russia’s decision to back a U.S.-proposed sanctions resolution—a step that, in turn, was facilitated by the Obama administration lifting sanctions that had been imposed on several Russian firms for previous dealings with Iran.
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