TODAY: US anti-missile defense issue remains; NATO summit raises questions for Russia; state-sponsored TV documentary on US spying aired; Moldova election; no ballerina for Sochi

Whilst a thaw in US-Russia relations is indispensable, there remain ‘core disagreements’ on certain subjects, Barack Obama has reportedly commented.  As long as a threat is posed by Iran, the US will continue to develop its Russian-opposed anti-missile defense, says the Moscow Times.  An op-ed piece by Richard Lourie argues that a transparent, cooperative Iran is not in Russia’s interests.  At the NATO summit, the organization appealed to Russia for cooperation, but the issue of troops in Georgia is unresolved and the choice of Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as NATO Secretary-General may complicate matters, as he is ‘little-loved in Russia’.  Rossia TV has broadcast a documentary accusing the US of spying from the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan.