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US, Russia to discuss nuke arms reduction pact

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-22 19:18

GENEVA: The United States and Russia will hold two days of talks in Geneva this week on replacing the expiring Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

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The 1991 START treaty significantly cut American and Russian nuclear arsenals.

It runs out on December 5, and presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev have made brokering a successor deal part of efforts to improve US-Russian relations. The two sides hope to make progress by Obama's July visit to Moscow.

Russia says it is ready for deep cuts in nuclear weapons if the US eases Moscow's concerns about missile defense shields in eastern Europe.

US mission spokesman Michael Parmly says Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller will attend. Her counterpart is Kremlin arms negotiator Anatoly Antonov.