TODAY: Obama firm on reasons for missile defense decision; Medvedev and Putin seem to take it as a positive sign; Putin wishes to see trade the next barrier broken; Russia will abandon Kaliningrad missile plans.  Pressure mounting regarding Iran situation; Israel apparently promises Medvedev no attack on Ahmadinejad regime.  Top cleric murdered in Ingushetia; disappearances abound.

Barack Obama is still arguing the independence of his decision on missile defense saying, ‘the Russians don’t make determinations about what our defense posture is,’ but if they are ‘less paranoid‘ as a result, than can be considered a ‘bonus’.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates has reiterated this position in an article in the New York Times.  Medvedev sees otherwise: ‘the fact that they are listening to us is an obvious signal that we should also attentively listen to our partners, our American partners’.  RFE/RL has a comment piece on Russian ‘self delusion’ about Obama’s motives.  Prime Minister Putin has called the move ‘correct and brave’ and sees trade as the next area in which he would like see a similar decision, with support for Russia’s joint WTO bid.  Russia will scrap its plans to deploy missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave now that the US has changed tack.  Medvedev believes that the chances that arms reduction negotiations can be completed by the end of the year are ‘quite high’.