Foreign Policy

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) said Tuesday that President Obama's first trip to Russia has "gone well" and could lead to better relations between the two former Cold War adversaries.

Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised the agreement announced Monday between Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to reduce their countries' nuclear arsenals by at least one quarter.

"I appreciated the reports that came yesterday and the way they have framed the issue," said Lugar, who worked with Obama when he was a senator on nuclear arms control.

"I'm hoping they will be able to finish the work in a timeframe so that a proper ratification of the treaty can occur both in Russia and in the United States," Lugar told The Hill.

The Republican said that the two countries have a sound relationship when it comes to curtailing the spread of nuclear weapons.

"Both countries see a win-win issue there," he said. "This is a foundation on which to have other conversations, such as missile defense."

He noted that the two countries have struck smaller deals on weapons, including agreements to destroy 34 tons of plutonium each and improve the fortification of nuclear agencies around the world to protect against arms proliferation.

"These were all areas where there can be a more cordial atmosphere to tackle other issues perhaps down the trail," he said.

President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev touted the results of the first day of their summit in Moscow at a press conference on Monday.

Both presidents complimented the others' "business-like" approach to the summit and both appeared pleased with the agreements that came out of the first day.

Obama said at the beginning at that shortly after taking office they "resolved to reset U.S.-Russian relations."

"Today, after less than six months," he went on, "we have done exactly that."

In particular, Obama touted the summit's agreements on nuclear proliferation Obama said he hopes to reduce the the U.S. and Russia's nuclear arsenal by about a third.

The press conference did not go off flawlessly, however. Obama stumbled slightly over the pronunciation of Medvedev's name at the beginning of the press conference, though he recovered quickly. The U.S. president also sidestepped a question about who is leading Russia, Medvedev or former president and current prime minister Vladmir Putin. Obama said he trusts Medvedev but said that Medvedev and Putin appear to be "working very well together."

Medvedev characterized the first day of talks as "very open and sincere." He also said that Russia and the U.S. has "many points of convergence and many points of mutual interest."

The Russian president also said that the two leaders discussed Afghanistan at length, as well as developments in the Middle East. Obama added later that they also had conversations about relations with North Korea and Iran.

"On the whole, characterizing the first day of work," Medvedev said, "I would like to say that I view them as the first and very important step in the process of improving full scale cooperation between our two countries."

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The U.S. has reached several agreements with Russia at the summit in Moscow on Monday, the White House announced in a flurry of emails.

Most notably, the U.S. and Russia has agreed to continue fighting the spread of nuclear weapons, a significant tenet of President Obama's foreign policy and anti-terrorism agenda.

In a statement from Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the leaders said they "confirm[ed] their commitment to strengthening their cooperation to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and stop acts of nuclear terrorism."

The "Joint Understanding" that Obama and Medvedev signed on Monday commits the two countries to reduce strategic warheads to between 1,500 to 1,675. The two nations will also reduce strategic delivery vehicles to between 500 and 1,100.

The countries also signed an "Joint Understanding" to work to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which will expire on Dec. 5 of this year, according to the White House.

Obama and Medvedev also reached an agreement that will allow the U.S. to transport military personnel and equipment across Russia to support American and Coalition forces in Afghanistan, and the two leaders issued a joint statement concerning the war in Afghanistan. The agreement will allow the U.S. to fly through Russia airspace to deliver supplies to Afghanistan 4,500 times per year at no charge, saving the U.S. $133 million in transportation costs, according to the White House.

That agreement comes as U.S. and Russia military officials have signed a new strategic framework for military-to-military engagement between the two countries. The agreement resumes bilateral activities that have been suspended since August of 2008, when Russia invaded Georgia.

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It is hard to tell based on Wednesday's statement from Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and U.S. special envoy George Mitchell on their meeting earlier this week.

In a joint statement, the two said they "met for several hours in New York" and "discussed the full range of issues."

But the statement lacks many details. Here is what it says:

"Specifically, their discussions covered a wide range of measures needed to create a climate conducive to peace. These included measures on security and incitement by the Palestinians; steps by Arab states toward normalization with Israel; and, from Israel, actions including on access and movement in the West Bank and on settlement activity. The discussions were constructive and will continue soon."

Taken one at a time, "security and incitement by the Palestinians" is pretty clear; Israel wants an assurance that there will be a crackdown on violence before they will enter into any deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for "normalization" of relations between Israel and Arab state since his election. Basically, that means Israel would expect reciprocity when it makes concessions, I think.

Lastly, the discussion of settlements likely referenced the New York Times scoop late last week that Israel is now open to freezing the construction of settlements in the West Bank.

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President Obama on Tuesday formally announced that U.S. troops have turned over control of Iraq to the country's own government and security forces.

Speaking at the White House, Obama said the U.S. met today's deadline, which is part of the Status of Forces Agreement that was signed under the previous administration. Obama has said since taking office that he plans to follow through on that agreement and remove all troops from Iraq by 2011.

Obama noted that Iraqis are "rightly treating this day as a cause for celebration," but he also noted that challenges still lie ahead.

"With this progress comes responsibility," he said. "Iraq's future is in the hands of its own people."

He also said he expects there to be "difficult days" in the future and said he expects continued violence in the country. A deadly car bomb in Kirkuk on Tuesday is just one example that the country is not entirely secure, the president said.

Obama also thanked U.S. soldiers for their work in the country.

"Our troops have overcome every obstacle to extend this opportunity to the Iraqi people," Obama said.

This post was updated at 3:15 P.M.

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President Obama continues to believe that overthrown leader Manuel Zelaya is the leader of Hondurus, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.

Zelaya was expelled from Honduras in a military coup over the weekend.

Via CBS's Mark Knoller's Twitter feed:

On Honduras, Gibbs says the WH is seeking to restore the democratic process there and still regards Zelaya as President.

Knoller also tweeted that Obama said the coup in Hondorus was "not legal."

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President Obama said the country can win a war against extremists who are attempting to "disrupt the country" in an interview with a Pakistani media outlet published Sunday.

The interview with Dawn is the first a president has ever given to a Pakistan news outlet, Dawn said. Obama said he supports Pakistan's decision to ramp up its offensive against extremists in the country.

"There's been a decision that's made that we support, that the Pakistani military and the Pakistani government will not stand by idly as extremists attempt to disrupt the country," Obama said.

He added: "I have confidence in the Pakistani people and the Pakistani state in resolving differences through a democratic process and to isolate extremists."

Obama also said that "nobody can or should push the Pakistani government."

The president also commented on the continued unrest in Iran following the June 12 election.

"To see hundreds of thousands of people in peaceful protest against an election that obviously raised a lot of doubts tells us that this is an issue that the Iranian people care deeply about," he said.

Obama, who has been careful not to be viewed as "meddling" in the election, also dismissed a statement by Ayatollah Khamenei that the U.S. is interfering in the election. Read more...

President Obama issued the following statement on the demonstrations in Iran Saturday afternoon.

The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.

Martin Luther King once said - "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples' belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.

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A plurality of respondents believe President Obama's response to the election in Iran and the ensuing protests is "about right," according to a new survey.

The Rasmussen Reports survey, released Friday, found that 43 percent approve of Obama's response. On the other hand, 35 percent say his response is "not aggressive enough."

The survey comes as the House on Friday approved a resolution supporting the dissidents in Iran by a 405 to 1 margin.

Some, particularly those on the right, have criticized Obama's response to this week's protests in Iran. Obama has said he is troubled by the violence that has broken out but has been careful to avoid "meddling" in Iran's election.

Interestingly, the Rasmussen survey found that a plurality - 43 percent - has followed the Iranian election "very closely." Another 36 percent said "somewhat closely."

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The House voted in favor of Reps. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and Mike Pence's (R-Ind.) legislation in support of dissidents in Iran.

Check out the roll call here. Looks like Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) was the only member to vote against the measure. Reps. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) and David Loebsack (D-Iowa) voted "present."

Ian Swanson has the story:

The House overwhelmingly approved a resolution Friday in support of Iranian dissidents as that country's top cleric warned protestors to end demonstrations.

The resolution was approved in a 405-1 vote, with two members voting present.

"This resolution is not about American interests," said Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee. "It is about American values that I believe are universal."

Berman sponsored the resolution with Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.).

Iran has been consumed by demonstrations protesting the election of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since last weekend. Opposition candidates have insisted the election was rigged for Ahmadinejad.