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Q -- expects the bilateral meeting with Medvedev to focus heavily on Iran. How much progress do you expect the President to be able to make on that issue with the Russians?

MR. RHODES: Well, the Russians have been a close partner with us throughout the process of the P5-plus-1 negotiations. I think you've seen President Medvedev be in line with President Obama in both his statements and his approach in terms of providing Iranians with an opportunity to change course but also saying that there will have to be consequences if they don't.

The Russians are currently negotiating with us for a multilateral sanctions regime in New York, so currently we're in multilateral negotiations where we believe we'll have a sanctions resolution this spring. This will be an opportunity for them to discuss those negotiations and discuss recent developments as it relates to Iran, but again, those negotiations are now in a multilateral basis in New York. So while -- it's an important opportunity for them to consult and I think to continue to discuss the progress of those negotiations.

And again, what we've said and what I think we'd underscore again today is that when the President took office relations with Russia were at a -- really at a post-Cold War low, and that in the pursuit of the START treaty I think says something about an important landmark in terms of arms control nuclear policy, but it also demonstrates that we believe we can work together with the Russians on issues of common interest. And that would of course include Iran. And we believe we've worked constructively with them on Iran. That would include Afghanistan. It would also include economic and trade issues that we'll also be discussing as well.

So there will be a range of issues discussed, to include Iran. And we believe that, again, the Russians have been good partners throughout this process at the P5-plus-1.

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MR. RHODES: President Medvedev is obviously coming to the nuclear security summit, and obviously President Obama just released an important document in the Nuclear Posture Review, which we've consulted with the Russians in. So there's a range of nuclear non-proliferation and security issues I think they'll discuss.

Iran is obviously one of those, because as you've heard us say many times, for the non-proliferation regime to work effectively those who break the rules and fail to live up to their obligations have to be held accountable. So I think Iran will be discussed in that context of a shared commitment that they have to non-proliferation and nuclear security.

So it's an important issue. I think there will be also a broader range of issues discussed. Russia is cooperating in Afghanistan. The recent terrorist attacks in Russia, President Obama was able to express his condolences personally to President Medvedev by the phone. I'm sure that he'll have an opportunity to do that again in person today. And then some issues related to economic growth and the G20 as well.

Q And on Iran, what's your best-case scenario coming out of this meeting, going into the meeting next week with Hu Jintao?

MR. RHODES: I think these are important opportunities to discuss Iran bilaterally; to discuss Iran's continued failure to live up to their obligations. But again, what I would underscore is that we're into a period of intense negotiations in New York. The Chinese are a part of those negotiations, as you've seen recently reported. So a lot of those -- the details of that sanctions regime are being worked through in New York.

So this is an opportunity for the President to consult on a leader-to-leader basis with his Russian counterpart. He'll have that opportunity with President Hu, and he also recently met with President Sarkozy. He talked to Prime Minister Brown on the phone. And I think we'll also have an opportunity to talk to Chancellor Merkel. So I think he'll be meeting with each of the leaders to discuss the progress that's being made, but also the focal point of the negotiations right now is in New York, given the fact that all the P5-plus-1 is now at the table on this.

MR. GIBBS: I'd just underscore that -- because this goes to both the relationship that we have bilaterally with Russia but also the engagement that the President has undertaken over the course of 15 months, has brought us to the point where, as Ben just said, the P5-plus-1 is all actively at the table negotiating this, something that -- again, 15 months ago, the problem of Iran existed; what didn't exist was an international framework in the P5-plus-1 to deal with it.

Through the President's both engagement with these countries bilaterally, multilaterally, and by the offers that have been made to Iran that have been turned down, the world has been brought together at a point that it wasn't at only a short time ago.

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Q But can they make any progress on Iran today? Are they hoping to?

MR. GIBBS: I think they'll discuss it, but again, I don't -- again, they're at a point where what wasn't possible many months ago now is. But again, I don't expect any pronouncements today coming out of this meeting. I do think the meeting upcoming with the Chinese leader is important and demonstrates, again, the approach that we've taken to bring all our partners, including the Chinese, into these negotiations, and to have his important participation in the nuclear security summit, which, in many ways, builds off both the Nuclear Posture Review and the START treaty that we signed today, moving the agenda on reducing the threat of nuclear weapons forward.

MR. RHODES: I'd just add to that, I mean, echoing what Robert said, President Medvedev has been clear for a time -- we would come out of these meetings, and he's been supportive of the need to move to sanctions if the Iranians continue to fail to live up to their obligations. So we believe the Russians are onboard with the sanctions effort.

I think that you've heard the President express the importance of getting this done. Of course, it's an opportunity for them to discuss the importance of holding Iran accountable. But what I would also say, though, is that, just echoing what Robert said, these consultations further isolate the Iranians. I think the Nuclear Posture Review we released, which focused upon the Non-Proliferation Treaty as the central dividing line between those states that will have a negative security assurance and those states that don't, further isolates the Iranians and sends a message to them that they will not find greater security through the pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

So there's a range of actions we're taking, of course, ongoing unilateral sanctions that we have on the Iranians, whose enforcement we've tightened, and then of course these multilateral efforts at the United Nations, which, again, we believe should and will conclude this spring.

So I think there's a whole range of ways in which the international community is working to isolate Iran. And I think that they'll cover that broad range in their discussions. But of course the sanctions regime that is being negotiated will be a topic. But again, as Robert said, the Russians are already committed to the notion of holding Iran accountable through the multilateral sanctions regime, and that's being worked hard in New York too.

So I'm not trying to downplay. I'm just -- we believe that they have --

Q So you've got everybody onboard with maybe -- with talking about sanctions. Then you've got the really hard process of what do they look like; what can everybody agree on they'll say and they'll do. And that's the really difficult part that you're in right now.

MR. GIBBS: Right, and quite frankly it will play out in many places. You know, Bill Burns and others actively engaged with their counterparts in the P5-plus-1; Ambassador Rice at the United Nations; as well as the President and his counterparts.

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