"I think what he did was a revolution in terms of Russia's foreign policy, " says Dmitri Trenin of the Moscow Carnegie Center.

CNN: 9/11 a 'turning point' for Putin

But while they have a common goal, there doesn't seem to be much coordination, says Dmitri Trenin, director of the Moscow Carnegie Center.

NPR: 3 min 58 sec

After Mr Medvedev's relatively amicable meeting with Barack Obama a month ago, NATO's actions have caused confusion in Moscow, says Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Centre.

ECONOMIST: Russia and its near abroad

As Dmitri Trenin, head of the Carnegie Moscow Centre, has argued, Russia has left the West and is trying to build up its influence in the former Soviet space.

ECONOMIST: Russian-American relations

Dmitri Trenin, a retired colonel turned pundit, says Russia should accept that its superpower days are over, and try to join countries such as Britain, France and Germany to become another big post-imperial member of the European club.

ECONOMIST: A survey of Russia