Medvedev seeks alliance with West

Moscow: Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has called for the formation of new alliances with the US and the EU to stimulate trade and investment in one of his boldest foreign policy statements.

Signs of a new softer foreign policy towards the West have been growing since the global financial crisis exposed Russia’s dependence on oil and gas exports, highlighting the need for an influx of foreign capital and technology.

Medvedev made the country’s modernisation one of the pillars of his presidency, and there was a notable shift from the Cold-war era anti-Western statements of his predecessor Vladimir Putin to sweet-talking foreign partners and investors.