Medvedev, Obama discuss ways to reduce nuclear weapons

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama are keen to clinch a new deal to "reduce strategic nuclear weapons" as they meet for key talks here next week to address issues like a successor to a Cold War-era arms treaty set to expire by the year-end.

Ahead of their next week's first formal summit here Obama and Medvedev are keen to clinch a new deal to cut their nuclear arsenals.

The two former Cold War foes have agreed to instruct their negotiators to intensify efforts to 'reach concrete results', according to the Kremlin. The two leaders had a detailed discussion last night in a telephonic conversation on every point of their agenda and schedule in Moscow.

"In particular, the presidents placed significant emphasis on the topic of reducing strategic nuclear weapons. They discussed various aspects of the nuclear weapons issue, in accordance with the positions that have been reached by the two countries' negotiating teams," a Kremlin release said.

A new legally binding nuclear arms treaty to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) expiring on December 5 this year is on the top of the agenda.

Russia's demand to link it with the US plans to deploy elements of the missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland is seen as the main stumbling block in its way.

"The two leaders agreed to instruct their negotiators to intensify efforts in order to reach concrete results," a Kremlin release said. 

Obama and Medvedev, who had their first meeting in London in early April on the sidelines of G-20 financial summit, expressed confidence that their upcoming summit will provide great momentum and create a more productive atmosphere for bilateral relations, and allow them to get to know one another better.

Moscow has refused to buy the Washington's argument that the ABM radar in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland would be deployed to protect European allies from 'rogue' Iranian and North Korean missiles, and insists that it is designed to suppress Russia's second strike capability in case of a US nuclear attack.

At the time his presidency Vladimir Putin had proposed the joint use of Russia-leased Azerbaijani Ghabala radar to keep an eye on Iran and West Asia, seen by the US as a missile threat to Europe, however, Bush administration cold shouldered the offer.