LONDON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to Russia will hardly reset bilateral relations though Obama has called for an end to the most controversial policies of the Bush administration in return for greater cooperation on issues like Afghanistan, a member of a British think-tank said on Thursday.

    "Whether or not relations improve, I think actually depends a bit more on what Russia brings to the table at their meeting next week rather than Obama's policies," Lisa Aronsson, head of the Transatlantic Program of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Xinhua in a exclusive interview.

    Aronsson said the period after Russia invaded Georgia definitely marked a low point in U.S.-Russian relations.

    Obama's visit to Russia , scheduled for July 6-8, is his first since taking office.

    "I think we will probably see some gestures of political engagement, and if we are lucky, some progress on the arms control agreement, but I am not very optimistic once Obama and his Russian counterpart get to the issues that are really at the core of their strategic relationship -- the issues that matter to both of them, such as the anti-missile defense system, NATO enlargement and Iran," Aronsson said.

    "Once U.S. and Russia get to these issues, there are huge differences in their interests and approach, and I think it's very unlikely that any of these issues will be resolved next week," she said.

    Although U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden had earlier made the new administration's most direct offer of improved relations, saying it was time to hit the reset button, Aronsson said Obama faces a huge challenge in improving U.S.-Russian ties as a poll showed that only 22 percent of Russians believed that Obama will help improve bilateral relations.

    Alexander Neil, head of the Asia Security Program, also said there was no major change in U.S. policy toward Russia though Obama's administration hoped to change the tone of foreign policy to outline a sharp break with the often unilateral approach of the Bush years.

    Neil said it was too early to talk about whether the U.S. and Russia could reach a strategic partnership conducive to solving issues like Afghanistan and Iran.

    The RUSI, founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington, embodies nearly two centuries of forward thinking, free discussion and careful reflection on defense and security matters.