Since 2014, the rapid deterioration of relations between Russia and the United States has seen the activities of the commission been largely curtailed and is essentially defunct.[citation needed]
According to the commission's mission statement which the two sides agreed to in October 2009, the purpose of the commission is "identifying areas of cooperation and pursuing joint projects and actions that strengthenstrategic stability, international security, economic well-being, and the development of ties between the Russian and American people....the foundation for the work of the commission is based on the core principles of friendship, cooperation, openness, and predictability, and we are resolved to address disagreements openly and honestly in a spirit of mutual respect and acknowledgement of each other's perspective.".[2]
Presidents Obama and Medvedev agreed that the commission would have thirteen working groups. In October 2009, during the visit to Moscow of Secretary of State Clinton, three additional working groups were added; on Counterterrorism, Environment, and Military to Military. In addition, Sports was added as a sub-group of the Working Group on Education and Cultural Exchanges, and a Policy Steering Group was created, headed by Russian Deputy Foreign MinisterSergei Ryabkov and U.S. Undersecretary of StateWilliam J. Burns. The working groups were:
