President Obama has scolded the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for failing to move on from Cold War dynamics. His remarks come on the eve of a much-anticipated trip to Moscow next week in which he aims to “hit the reset button” on relations with Russia.

The Bush Administration’s relationship with Mr Putin started warmly, with George Bush gushing that he could see into the soul of Mr Putin, then Russian President, and could trust him as a man to do business with. If Mr Obama was hoping to avoid that trap he certainly did so, but was more complimentary about Mr Putin’s successor, Dmitri Medvedev, whom he said was aware of the dynamics of the current world order.

Mr Obama was asked why he would meet Mr Putin at all on his three-day visit, in which he and Mr Medvedev will issue a joint pledge to cut their nuclear arsenals in half. Mr Obama said that the former President “still has a lot of sway” and needed to hear what he had to say — an acknowledgement of his continued influence, while simultaneously sending Mr Putin a message that he regards him as yesterday’s man. “It’s important that even as we move forward with President Medvedev, Putin understands that the old Cold War approach to US-Russian relations is outdated; that it’s time to move forward in a different direction,” he said.

“I think Medvedev understands that. I think Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new, and to the extent that we can provide him and the Russian people a clear sense that the US is not seeking an antagonistic relationship but wants co-operation on nuclear non-proliferation, fighting terrorism, energy issues, that we’ll end up having a stronger partner overall.”

He praised the Russian President for his more robust stance on the North Korean and Iranian issues — threats that the Bush Administration felt it failed to get Moscow to take seriously. Mr Obama added that he was not reconciled to Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapon, calling it “a recipe for potential disaster”.

He will be seeking Mr Medvedev’s support for stronger measures against Tehran, as prospects for negotiations dim in the aftermath of the recent electoral upheaval.

In Moscow, Mr Putin’s office had a different take on his meeting with Mr Obama, which will take place over breakfast on the second day of his visit. Mr Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Moscow radio that his boss “will want to share his views on the current state of Russian-US relations, drawing on his experience of dynamic interaction at the highest level as the head of state.”

He added: “He has huge experience in dealing with the President of the United States: his mastery of the subject is brilliant. He will find it interesting to get a sense of the new US head of state, so he can also make his small contribution to possible prospects for development.”

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