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July 6, 2009

Obama in Russia for Nuke Talks
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President Obama is in Russia today for talks on a new treaty to reduce
U.S. and Russian stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Negotiators have agreed
to a modest weapons cut but remain in a standstill over the fate of the
proposed U.S. missile system in Eastern Europe. The Obama administration
has refused to renounce the Bush administration-backed system even
though it’s widely seen as ineffective in its stated purpose of missile
defense and actually intended as a first-strike weapon against Iran. The
U.S. is also rejecting Russian calls for a sharp reduction in the
numbers of long-range missile launchers and heavy bombers under a new
treaty. Obama meanwhile has won an agreement to let military flights
bound for Afghanistan fly over Russian territory.



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