Obama to Moscow

The US president is due to arrive in Moscow on a visit to mend ties sorely tested by a series of political disputes and Russia's brief war with Georgia last summer.

Obama is expected to sign a transit deal for US military goods through Russia to Afghanistan and ink a framework accord on replacing a key Cold War-era weapons treaty.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday said he was confident Obama's visit to Moscow would open up new perspectives for US-Russia relations.

"We expect that concrete results will be reached at the summit which will open up new prospects for the development of our relations," Medvedev said in a statement released by the Kremlin to mark US Independence Day.

"I sincerely hope that with our mutual efforts Russia-US relations can be brought to a new level of quality," the statement said.

The New York Times on Saturday reported that Russia has agreed to allow American troops and weapons to fly over its airspace on the way to Afghanistan. It said the breakthrough was to be announced during Obama's visit to Moscow.

The newspaper quoted unnamed officials from Russia and the United States confirming the arrangement. Until now, Russia has only allowed the US military to use rail transport across its territory on the way to Afghanistan and to transport only nonlethal supplies.

G8 agenda will include Iran and climate change

Obama's next stop will be the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, the town devastated by an earthquake earlier this year.

Iran and climate change will feature high on the agenda there, and it's thought that the leaders may even impose sanctions on Tehran, following its violent crackdown on post-election protests.

But, the G8 meets amid serious questions about whether it provides the best forum to deal with an unprecedented global recession, says analyst Steven Schrage of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).

"I think even the most generous commentators on the G8 have often noted there's not much follow up in areas like development or aid. Many of the agenda items are targeting the far distant future for action long after the current leaders will have been long into retirement."

Representatives from developing nations will also be on hand for some of the meetings, in a sign that the existing format, bringing the richest, most developed, nations together - will not be enough to tackle 21st century problems.

Ghana as an African success story

The last leg on Obama's travel itinerary is a visit to Ghana, his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa as president.

He's expected, for the first time, to outline his administration's policy approach to the continent, with emphasis on promoting good governance, democracy and food security.

Jennifer Cooke of CSIS says he chose Ghana to highlight America's partnership with strong African countries.

"It's a country," she says, " that has now had five successive elections, which have been deemed free and fair; so, it's a chance to highlight a success in the perpetual focus on crises."

As much as anything else, this trip represents the Obama administration's ongoing efforts to improve America's image in the international community, using the chief executive's personal approval ratings to make progress on important issues.

Author: Kate Moody/Andreas Illmer
Editor: Greg Benzow