Europe
Documents & Texts from the State Department
Specific European issues:
26 June 2009 United States-Russian Exchanges Boost Mutual Understanding During the Cold War, Americans and Russians often saw each other through a filter of mistrust, despite their nations' striking similarities as multicultural, multiethnic societies, each straddling a continent, with vast influence in their own regions. But since the emergence of an independent Russia, mistrust yields to understanding as mutual interests step to the fore.
24 June 2009 United States Seeks Active Engagement with European Partners The United States is participating in international meetings in June and July in Europe to directly engage with European partners on the most urgent, overarching security and economic challenges, a senior State Department official says.
16 June 2009 Strengthening the Transatlantic Alliance: An Overview of the Obama Administration's Policies in Europe Statement by Philip H. Gordon, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
10 June 2009 July Moscow Summit Seeks to Reduce Nuclear Arsenals President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev committed to reducing their nuclear arsenals through a proposed arms reduction treaty that would take effect late this year. As owners of more than 95 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, the United States and Russia will lead by example, Obama said after a meeting with Medvedev in early April.
08 June 2009 U.S. Ambassador Daalder’s Speech on NATO’s Agenda in 21st Century Outlines a new opportunity for a new alliance.
20 May 2009 Joint Statement by U.S., European Union on Bosnia-Herzegovina Leaders support Bosnia-Herzegovina’s move toward NATO, EU membership.
20 May 2009 Biden Seeks to Enhance U.S.-Serbian Relations Vice President Biden and Serbian President Boris Tadic on May 20 sought to open a new path toward enhanced communications and relations between the United States and Serbia.
19 May 2009 Vice President Biden Begins Visit to the Balkans May 19 Vice President Biden is traveling to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo beginning May 19 in large measure to demonstrate intensified U.S. engagement in the Balkans, a senior administration official says.
14 May 2009 Statement on U.S.-EU Beef Hormone Agreement Agreement provides U.S. beef producers increased access to EU market.
04 May 2009 Russia Tackles Intellectual Property Piracy, But More Work Needed The U.S. government's top trade agency and industry groups say the Russian government is doing a better job in both legislating and enforcing rules against the illegal copying of movies, music, computer software and other types of intellectual property. But, they say, even better enforcement must be achieved to hasten Russia's bid for membership in the World Trade Organization.
28 April 2009 Experts Say Cooperation Between U.S., Russia Is an Imperative Experts from the U.S. and Russia who are in Washington for the annual World Russia Forum see closer U.S.-Russian relations as less an option than an imperative if issues ranging from nuclear nonproliferation to energy security are to be addressed effectively.
• Remarks by Under Secretary William Burns at Russia World Forum
20 April 2009 State Department Appoints New Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy Clinton appoints Richard Morningstar as special envoy for Eurasian energy.
16 April 2009 Department of State Press Release on the Aftermath of Protests in Moldova
15 April 2009 Partnerships Hold Key to Success in Europe, Beyond, General Says Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe, emphasized international partnerships as being a key element in military operations.
09 March 2009 Clinton Hails Renewal of U.S.-Russian Arms Control Talks A “fresh start” in U.S.-Russian relations will begin with a renewed commitment to shrinking stockpiles of nuclear weapons, after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announce plans to start negotiations on a new arms control treaty.
06 March 2009 Analysis: America and Russia “Press the Reset Button” By “pressing the reset button” on its relations with Russia, America seeks strengthened partnerships on shared global challenges, balanced by open and respectful dialogue on differences. “There’s a lot for us to do together,” says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
03 March 2009 Obama Seeks Improved Relations with Russia The U.S. seeks improved relations with Russia through strengthened partnerships to confront a wide range of shared diplomatic and security challenges, says President Obama. "My hope is that we can have a constructive relationship where, based on common respect and mutual interest, we can move forward," Obama said at the White House March 03 during a joint press appearance with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
18 February 2009 United States Welcomes Progress in Russia-Georgia Talks Russian and Georgian negotiators in Geneva agreed to avoid new clashes by opening new lines of communication, a move cautiously welcomed by Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried as "a significant success" for efforts to resolve the August 2008 conflict over Georgia's Moscow-backed separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
13 February 2009 United States Wants to Consult with Russia on Missile Defense The U.S. wants to consult with its NATO partners and with Russia to determine if a cooperative approach to missile defense in Europe can be developed, says Under Secretary of State William Burns.
09 February 2009 Time to Revisit Relations with Russia, Biden Says The Obama administration will rebuild U.S.-Russian relations, says Vice President Biden, pledging improved cooperation on a wide range of global challenges shared by Washington and Moscow. "It is time to press the reset button and to revisit the many areas where we can and should be working together with Russia," Biden said in a February 7 speech at the Munich Conference on Security Policy.
07 February 2009 Biden Lays Out U.S. Foreign Policy Goals, Approaches Vice President Biden says the United States will be guided in its foreign relations by the principle that there is no conflict between its security and its ideals — each reinforces the other. It is the obligation of the international community "to listen to and learn from one another, and to work together for a common prosperity and security of all," Biden said in a major foreign policy address February 7 to the Munich Conference on Security Policy.
05 February 2009 U.S.-European Partnership Securing Kosovo's Future As Kosovo nears the first anniversary of its independence, America and its European allies remain firmly committed to the new Balkan nation’s success, says U.S. diplomat Kyle Scott. "The development of a multiethnic democracy in Kosovo which protects minority rights and religious freedom, and which has government institutions that can deliver stability and prosperity for its people, is a goal that we should all support," Scott told fellow representatives to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on February 5.
04 February 2009 Clinton, European Partners Set Common Agenda In recent meetings with two key European allies, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed a number of top challenges the Obama administration wants to focus on with its European partners in the coming months. Clinton mentioned Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East, as well as the fight against nuclear proliferation and terrorism, as chief tasks that the United States wants to engage in together with NATO allies in Europe.
January 2009
13 January 2009 Hillary Clinton, Senators Seek U.S.-Russia Effort on Arms Control If confirmed by the Senate, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will work with Russia to extend a nuclear arms agreement set to expire later this year.
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Europe
