Press Review










Russia Says WTO Accession Need Not Include Its Neighbours

When Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was asked about President Obama’s decision to scrap his predecessor’s plans for missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic, Putin said Obama was brave to do so, but wondered when the U.S. leader will help Moscow enter the World Trade Organization. Today, Igor Shuvalov, Russia’s deputy prime minister, was in Washington, among other reasons, to follow up on Putin’s question. The answer (as delivered by United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk): Washington supports Russia’s entry — as long as it is doing so alone. Or as Kirk put it in a statement, he supports Russia’s “individual accession to the WTO.”