Romney says Obama’s ‘reset’ with Russia must end

US Republican presidential front runner Mitt Romney on Friday warned that the Obama administration’s “reset” of relations with Russia “has to end.”

Romney staked out a hard line towards Moscow on a day when he laid out his foreign policy in a major speech, months before Republican voters begin to take on their nominee to face President Barack Obama next year.

The former Massachusetts governor told Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin that Obama had erred by reframing the US missile defense system in Europe under heavy Russian pressure.

Asked about the “reset” of US ties with the Kremlin, Romney told the Post “it has to end” and argued that a Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty reached by Obama with Russia was tilted towards the Kremlin.

Earlier, Romney signaled in his foreign policy address that he was highly suspicious of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is all but certain to return to the presidency next year.

“Russia is at a historic crossroads. Vladimir Putin has called the breakup of the Soviet empire the great tragedy of the 20th Century,” Romney said.

“Will he try to reverse that tragedy and bludgeon the countries of the former Soviet Union into submission, and intimidate Europe with the levers of its energy resources?”

Romney made the comments having earlier this week announced a large foreign policy team which includes a number of officials from former president George W. Bush’s administration.