Speaking to RFE/RL in Prague at the conclusion of his Eastern European trip, [U.S. Vice President Joe] Biden said the region’s concerns about President Barack Obama’s desire to reset relations with Russia were “understandable.”
But, the U.S. vice president added, he believed he had successfully “settled” such fears, and hoped “that the reassurance is understood and is taking hold.”
So, mission accomplished? To a point, according to most analysts.
“The vice president is senior enough to deliver a message that is credible. This is the most important thing. It has to be credible, and it was credible, because he is credible,” says Eugeniusz Smolar of the Center for International Relations in Warsaw. “So I think he did a good job on behalf of the Obama administration…”
“Biden’s visit could be the beginning of a recovery. But it will require a lot of deeds, rather than words, to follow it up,” says Edward Lucas, the Central and Eastern European correspondent for the British weekly “The Economist” and the author of the book “The New Cold War.” (photo: Petr David Josek/AP)