From Russia with love, a new glasnost ?

From the NYT :

At his first summit meeting with the European Union, the new Russian president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, dispensed with the aggressive rhetoric of his predecessor Vladimir Putin.

(...) When discussing a dispute over the allocation of visas to Europeans working in Russia, for instance, the president said that Moscow had been wrong.

(...) I saw someone with whom I believe we can work in a good spirit; someone who is open and relaxed,” said the European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso. He added that the new president was someone who “is open and who really wants to engage in discussion.”

Others saw a politician less concerned than Mr. Putin about asserting Russia’s place in the world and about making up for the humiliations of the Protected content .

“I think he is from a new generation, and I think he sees Russia already back as a global player,” said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European external relations commissioner.