国际英语新闻:Obama says to attend G20 summit in Russia despite Snowden spat

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he will travel to Russia for a G20 summit despite disappointment over Moscow's handling of Snowden case.

In an interview with Jay Leno of NBC's Tonight Show in Los Angeles, the president expressed his disappointment in Russia's granting of temporary asylum to Edward Snowden on Aug. 1, despite repeated U.S. calls for his return to face charges at home for disclosing classified surveillance program of the National Security Agency.

However, Obama made it clear that he would attend the G20 summit slated for early September in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. He did not mention his planned one-on-one meeting in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The White House said the "utility" of the presidential summit was under review following Moscow's move on Snowden.

"There are times when they slip back into Cold War thinking and Cold War mentality," Obama remarked. "What I continually say to them and to President Putin, that's the past."

He said the United States and Russia still work together on Afghanistan and the Boston marathon bombings.

The two nations' foreign and defense ministers will meet in Washington on Friday, reviving the so-called 2+2 meeting format last held in 2007.

"The group will discuss a number of pressing bilateral and global issues, including strategic stability, political-military cooperation and regional issues," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday. "We certainly have our share of disagreements with Russia over a number of issues, and I'm sure they will be part of the conversation."

She expected Washington to raise the issue of Snowden in the meeting, while Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said his country will not discuss the issue.

"There is nothing to discuss," he said, adding Washington had "distorted reality" by indicating the Obama-Putin summit might be in jeopardy following the row over Snowden.

Obama sought to reset ties with Russia during his first term and won Moscow's cooperation on Afghanistan, Iran and nuclear arms reduction, but bilateral relations have soured since Putin's return to the presidency in May 2012.