Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Russian traditional wooden dolls, Matreshkas, depicting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barak Obama, are displayed by a street vendor in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, July 3, 2009. Obama is to visit Russia on July 6-8. AP Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expects his upcoming negotiations with U.S. President Barack Obama to bring about practical results benefiting the people from both countries.

"We are actively preparing for you visit to Moscow. It is our expectation that the summit should bring about tangible results that should open up new prospects for the development of our ties to the benefit of the Russian and U.S. citizens and in the interests of peace and progress," Medvedev said in a letter he sent to Obama on Saturday to greet him on the U.S. national holiday, Independence Day.