US-Russian relationship reaches new low

S President Obama has cancelled talks with his Russian counterpart Putin. Observers warn of a new Cold War between the two countries - Edward Snowden is by no means the only area where the two sides are at loggerheads. The irritation runs deep in the White House. It runs so deep that President Barack Obama is willing to risk yet another escalation in the ties with Moscow by cancelling a meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin scheduled for early September. The relationship between the two countries had already been tense. Is Obama's decision politically wise? Or is it a president who seems strangely helpless, letting out his personal frustration and giving in to domestic pressure? Obama's justification for his decision is of a rare frankness. Who would disagree with him when he speaks about the lack of progress in almost all areas with Russia. It ranges from disarmament to economic and trade relations, to global questions of security and human rights. The decision by the Russian authorities to grant asylum to Edward Snowden was mentioned only as the last point by Obama. It seems to have been the last trigger for his decision to cancel the meeting with Putin.