This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/8135394.stm
The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 9 | Version 10 |
|---|---|
| Obama in Moscow for nuclear talks | |
| (29 minutes later) | |
| US President Barack Obama has arrived in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, focusing on further reducing nuclear stockpiles. | |
| Officials on both sides were quoted as saying a document had been agreed, though Russia said it was not final. | Officials on both sides were quoted as saying a document had been agreed, though Russia said it was not final. |
| Both men say they want deep cuts to their current levels of 6,000 nuclear warheads each. | |
| In addition, Russia has been pressing Mr Obama to scrap a US plan for a missile defence shield in Europe. | |
| See US and Russian nuclear weapon stockpiles | See US and Russian nuclear weapon stockpiles |
| Afghanistan and Iran are also on the agenda. | |
| The presidential Air Force One plane carrying Mr and Mrs Obama landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Monday morning. | |
| Mr Obama is expected to hold talks with Vladimir Putin, currently prime minister and formerly president, on Tuesday. | |
| Many analysts say he is still in the driving seat in the Russian government. | Many analysts say he is still in the driving seat in the Russian government. |
| Both sides have made clear their desire to improve, or "reset", relations between Washington and Moscow. | Both sides have made clear their desire to improve, or "reset", relations between Washington and Moscow. |
| But BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus, who is in Moscow, says that is not going to be easy given the different perceptions of their national interests the two sides bring to the table. | But BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus, who is in Moscow, says that is not going to be easy given the different perceptions of their national interests the two sides bring to the table. |
| Under the previous Bush Administration, relations between Washington and Moscow were almost as bad as during the Cold War, so there is ample opportunity for improvement, he adds. | Under the previous Bush Administration, relations between Washington and Moscow were almost as bad as during the Cold War, so there is ample opportunity for improvement, he adds. |
| 'Difficult situation' | 'Difficult situation' |
| Mr Obama is travelling with his wife, Michelle, and two daughters. | |
| This is not some star coming to town Dmitry Trenin head of the Moscow Carnegie Centre think-tank class="" href="/2/hi/americas/8135178.stm">A summit of limited expectations class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/europe_russian_views_on_obama0s_visit/html/1.stm" onclick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/europe_russian_views_on_obama0s_visit/html/1.stm', '1246871372', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=500,height=400,left=280,top=100'); return false;">Russian views on Obama | |
| He is due to begin his visit by laying a wreath at the Grave of an Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall, before talks with Mr Medvedev. | He is due to begin his visit by laying a wreath at the Grave of an Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall, before talks with Mr Medvedev. |
| The Russian president said in an interview for Italian media released on Sunday that US missile shield plans for Europe put a "very prominent nuclear country like Russia... in a difficult situation". | The Russian president said in an interview for Italian media released on Sunday that US missile shield plans for Europe put a "very prominent nuclear country like Russia... in a difficult situation". |
| Arms control will top the agenda of the summit. The Soviet-era Start I accord expires in December. | Arms control will top the agenda of the summit. The Soviet-era Start I accord expires in December. |
| The White House co-ordinator for weapons of mass destruction, Gary Samore, ruled out any final agreement on renewing Start being reached this week, but he did see an "announcement" being made. | The White House co-ordinator for weapons of mass destruction, Gary Samore, ruled out any final agreement on renewing Start being reached this week, but he did see an "announcement" being made. |
| "I think you will see an announcement that indicates some progress toward reaching that objective," he told reporters. | "I think you will see an announcement that indicates some progress toward reaching that objective," he told reporters. |
| On Afghanistan, the US is confident of obtaining Moscow's approval for flying troops and weapons through Russian airspace. | On Afghanistan, the US is confident of obtaining Moscow's approval for flying troops and weapons through Russian airspace. |
| President Obama will also meet Russian journalists and civil society activists. | President Obama will also meet Russian journalists and civil society activists. |
| Low-key feel | Low-key feel |
| A University of Maryland opinion poll released on Sunday suggests that 75% of Russians believe the US abuses its greater power and only 2% have "a lot of confidence" that Mr Obama will do the right thing in world affairs. | A University of Maryland opinion poll released on Sunday suggests that 75% of Russians believe the US abuses its greater power and only 2% have "a lot of confidence" that Mr Obama will do the right thing in world affairs. |
| START I TREATY Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start I), signed in July 1991, cut the numbers of nuclear warheads by roughly half to 6,000. It expires on 5 December 2009Concerns the Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) - a collection of nuclear weapons carried on a single intercontinental ballistic missileStart II, signed in 1993, was intended to further reduce number of warheads and ban use of MIRV warheads, but was never ratifiedIn 2002, Sort, better known as the Treaty of Moscow, committed both sides to cut arsenals by two-thirds to 1700-2200 deployed warheads | |
| Neither of Russia's main TV news bulletins on Sunday evening led with the impending US visit. | Neither of Russia's main TV news bulletins on Sunday evening led with the impending US visit. |
| "This is being played as essentially a low-key visit that shows the American leadership's respect for the Russian leadership," Dmitry Trenin, head of the Moscow Carnegie Centre think-tank, told Reuters news agency. | "This is being played as essentially a low-key visit that shows the American leadership's respect for the Russian leadership," Dmitry Trenin, head of the Moscow Carnegie Centre think-tank, told Reuters news agency. |
| "This is not some star coming to town." | "This is not some star coming to town." |
| Nonetheless, correspondents say Mr Obama can expect a smoother reception than he received on a 2005 visit to Russia when he and other visiting US Congressmen were detained for three hours at an airport in the Urals city of Perm. | Nonetheless, correspondents say Mr Obama can expect a smoother reception than he received on a 2005 visit to Russia when he and other visiting US Congressmen were detained for three hours at an airport in the Urals city of Perm. |
| They were kept in an "uncomfortably stuffy room adjacent to the tarmac", a US spokesman said, as they resisted Russian customs officials' demands to search their plane. | They were kept in an "uncomfortably stuffy room adjacent to the tarmac", a US spokesman said, as they resisted Russian customs officials' demands to search their plane. |
| Mr Obama later brushed off the incident in his book The Audacity of Hope, saying "It wasn't the Gulag". | Mr Obama later brushed off the incident in his book The Audacity of Hope, saying "It wasn't the Gulag". |
| Click to return | Click to return |
| What are your expectations for the US - Russia summit? Send us your comments using the form below. | What are your expectations for the US - Russia summit? Send us your comments using the form below. |
| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |