Readout of the President's Call With Russian President Medvedev

Russian President Medvedev called President Obama today to wish him happy birthday. During the call, the presidents discussed the situation in Georgia and the need to decrease tensions in the region. President Obama reiterated the importance of working through established crisis management mechanisms such as the Joint Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism and underscored the need for international monitors. The presidents also discussed the need to move forward quickly on agreements reached at the July summit in Moscow. In particular, the presidents reaffirmed their commitment to complete negotiations on a follow-on agreement to START by December of this year.