He probably still believes Russia is not our enemy.
Via Daily Caller:
On Sunday’s “This Week” on ABC, President Barack Obama downplayed the antagonistic elements in his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, declaring that the two nations cooperate on counterterrorist measures and “this is not the Cold War.”
Obama first told “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos that Putin’s insistence that the rebels may have been behind the use of chemical weapons in Syria wasn’t a serious argument, adding that it was in both nations’ best interests to deal with those chemical weapons.
“What I said is, nobody around the world takes seriously the idea that the rebels perpetrated this attack. Now, what is true is that there are radical elements in the opposition, including folks who are affiliated with al-Qaida, who, if they got their hands on chemical weapons, would have no compunction using them in Syria or outside of Syria,” Obama said. “And part of the reason why we’ve been so concerned about this chemical weapons issue is because we don’t want those folks getting chemical weapons, any more than we want Assad to have chemical weapons. And so the best solution is for us to get them out of there. But with respect to Mr. Putin, I have said consistently that where the interest of the United States and Russia converge, we need to work together. And I had talked to Mr. Putin a year ago saying to him the United States and Russia should work together to deal with these chemical weapons stockpiles, and to work to try to bring about a political transition inside of Syria.”