From the Financial Times:
And he tried to inspire his young listeners. "What kind of future is Russia going to have? What kind of future are Russia and America going to have together? What kind of world order will replace the cold war? Those questions still don't have answers, and so now they must be answered by you - by your generation in Russia, in America and around the world," he said.
But most were having none of it. Their professors later suggested that it might have been the effect of anti-US propaganda, a lack of openness in Russia to outside influences or even the early morning start to the event held at the Gostinny Dvor, a converted 18th century market.
Whatever the reasons, Mr Obama's listeners were cautious. "He didn't impress me," said Alexander Ivanov, an internet company executive. "I thought he said only what he wanted to say. He doesn't want confrontation between the US and Russia. But it exists. Both sides are to blame."
For what it's worth, my sources in Moscow say that this analysis is largely erroneous, and that Obamamania has struck, albeit in a more subdued, Slavic form.
For what it is worth, everyone seems to be forgetting the breadth and intensity of racism and xenophobia and anti-Americanism in Russia. The very notion that Russians will generally take the utterances of any black man, much less a black American, seriously is utterly laughable and could not be suggested by anyone even remotely familiar with the Russian people.
In fact, we should be disappointed by a positive reaction to Obama, which would imply Russians take him for a sucker they can play for a fool. And indeed, his repeated gaffs and confused message during his visit bespeak exactly that.
Or maybe the Russians just see Obama accurately, as the fool that he is.
Boris Nemtsov approved of Obama's 'confused' message, but I suppose he's just a Putinista stooge who is not remotely familiar with the Russian people.
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/07/07/russian_opposition_leader_obama_nailed_it
I suppose everything depends on whether or not Russians will see Obama as the anti-Putin.
Being cold on a first meeting is not infrequent among Russians, who tend to smile only if there's a reason for that. Also, Russians are often used to analyzing everything as a choreographed show that hides the real intentions -- their delight in conspiracy theories goes way beyond politics (see the interest in UFOs in Russia). Whatever Obama would have said, I suppose many Russians would think it's of course a lie hiding something else, and they'd wonder about what that something else might be: maybe an anti-Russian agenda?
I agree with LR that racism may be an element. I don't think it's quite so strong as LR says -- many of the African students who came to Kiev, says my Ukrainian wife, found Russian wives/husbands. But it indeed exists, and one should be aware of it. It's like the anti-gay prejudices voiced by the mayor of Moscow after that parade in Riga -- leading up to the anti-gay discussion ban by the Lithuanian parliament.
There may be racism as has been suggested. Personally, I think how the talks with the Kremlin went are more important. There may have been some progress there, but as I've heard it said, "you'd need a microscope to see it."
France 24 reported “Although Obama admitted the talks were frank and that they didn’t agree on every issue, nevertheless, it seems that relations between Washington and the Kremlin have now been significantly reset.”
Also worth seeing is the video at http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama_s_nuclear_pipe_dream, which covers the talks in more detail.
Well Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II said the same sort of stuff, then helped Yeltsin circumvent the Duma, supported theiving privatizers, and did whatever they could to cut Russia out of international affairs.
So it's no suprise.