MOSCOW (AP): Russia's president said in a video released on Thursday that he's hopeful an the upcoming summit with Barack Obama will help Moscow and Washington find new ways to cooperate.

Dmitry Medvedev's comments were the latest in a string of upbeat statements from Moscow ahead of Obama's first trip to Russia as U.S. president, beginning on Monday.

That's raised expectations that the two leaders will reverse the sharp slide in relations that has occurred in recent years over disputes such as missile defense, NATO expansion and Russia's relations with countries of the former Soviet Union.

In the video posted on the Kremlin Web site, Mr. Medvedev praised the Obama administration, saying it is ``showing its willingness to change the situation and build more effective, reliable, and ultimately more modern relations. We are ready to play our part.''

He said the United States and Russia both have a ``special responsibility'' to fight international terrorism, drug trafficking and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Medvedev recalled the history of U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations and the role U.S. engineers played in building Russian railway lines and Russia's first telegraph line. He also discussed the Cuban missile crisis in 1961 -- when the United States and the Soviet Union came close to war.

``Today, we are united by the values of our civilization, the values of respect for human life and human rights and freedoms,'' he said.

He noted that both the United States and Russia were suffering through economic crisis.

``In this situation, it is hard to say who is having a harder time getting through these difficulties,'' he said. ``Now is not the time to say who is suffering more and who is stronger. Now is the time to unite our efforts.''

In Washington, White House aides say Mr. Obama is hoping to emerge from the summit with clear progress on reducing both nations' nuclear arsenals and changing the way the Russian people view the United States.