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Medvedev: New Arms Deal with US 95 Percent Complete

   VOA News 24 January 2010
   Russian  President Dmitri Medvedev speaks at the State Council session
   at the Kremlin in Moscow, 22 Jan 2010

Photo: AP

   Russian  President Dmitri Medvedev speaks at the State Council session
   at the Kremlin in Moscow, 22 Jan 2010

   Russian  President Dmitri Medvedev says a new arms control treaty with
   the  United  States  is  95  percent  complete,  but that U.S. missile
   defense plans are still an issue.
   Mr.  Medvedev  said Sunday he is optimistic a new deal will be reached
   soon.
   But  he  called  it  "sly"  to talk about cutting nuclear arms without
   talking about missile defense.
   Russian  Prime  Minister  Vladimir  Putin  has called U.S. plans for a
   missile  defense  system  for  Europe  the main obstacle to a new arms
   treaty.
   U.S.  officials  say the arms control talks would only cover strategic
   offensive  weapons.  They  say defensive weapons talks would come in a
   separate venue.
   U.S. and Russian negotiators are working on a new nuclear arms pact to
   replace  the 1991 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, which expired last
   month.
   The  talks  have  been in recess since a holiday break in December and
   are expected to resume in February.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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