WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Nuclear deal with Iran would have been impossible without Russia's participation in the talks on Tehran's nuclear program, US President Barack Obama told the New York Times.
"Russia was a help on this," Obama said Tuesday. "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian government compartmentalized on this in a way that surprised me, and we would have not achieved this agreement had it not been for Russia’s willingness to stick with us and the other P5-plus members in insisting on a strong deal."
The P5+1 international negotiators have been attempting to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran that would insure the peaceful nature of the country's nuclear program since November 2013, when an interim was signed.
The final deal was struck after more than two weeks of continuous talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna and multiple extensions of self-imposed deadlines.
The deal stipulates international sanctions relief in exchange for verification that Iran will not pursue a nuclear weapon.
