Northern routes open for Afghan surge

MOSCOW, July 7 (UPI) -- American forces secured key military transit routes into Afghanistan as U.S. President Barack Obama pushes for detente with Russia.

Obama arrived in Moscow on Monday to meet with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

U.S.-Russian relations reached Cold War lows in the latter half of the presidency of George W. Bush. In an effort to improve relations, Obama in a dramatic ceremony Monday reached agreements with the Kremlin on nuclear disarmament issues and for military transit into Afghanistan.

The U.S. government will save an estimated $133 million annually through Kremlin concessions that permit 4,500 flights per year over Russian airspace into Afghanistan, statements from the White House say.

"This is a substantial contribution by Russia to our international effort, and it will save the United States time and resources in giving our troops the support that they need," the American president said.

The deal comes on the heels of a new agreement between the United States and Kyrgyzstan to renew the lease for the U.S. air base, Manas, at an estimated $60 million per year, triple the previous lease.

Obama earlier this year unveiled a new military strategy for Afghanistan based on the counterinsurgency doctrine employed in Iraq. Earlier this week, U.S. Marines descended on the southern Afghan province of Helmand in an effort to drive a wedge into the heart of opium-rich territory held by Taliban and al-Qaida insurgents.