US President Barack Obama on Wednesday canceled his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the United States is getting ever more angry over Russia's reluctance to extradite former CIA employee Edward Snowden and frustrated over Moscow's stubbornness on such key issues as missile defense and human rights.
Vestnik Kavkaza asked the head of the Centre for Political Situation Research, Sergey Mikheyev, to comment on the issue.
According to the expert, this move should not be considered a tragedy. The main question was whether President Obama would visit Russia at all. The fact that he will take part in the G20 summit but won't meet with President Putin is not crucial, Mikheyev believes.
The expert says the decision made by the US administration is a compromise solution to the problem. On the one hand, the United States will show its anger over the Snowden case and prove the fact that the US is ready to ignore Putin personally. On the other hand, the visit will symbolize the country's willingness to cooperate with Russia in general.
Mikheyev says that such way out is favourable for Russia as well. A meeting with President Obama will force Putin to explain his position on the Snowden case and could even escalate the tensions between the two states.
