Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and...
defense in Europe a particular sticking point. START 1, the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, expired on December 5.Lavrov has repeatedly made statements suggesting that a new nuclear arms cuts deal should be linked to Washington"s missile plans in Eastern Europe.
Many experts believe, however, that the Russian demand would probably not be satisfied as the U.S. Senate is unlikely to approve any document containing a formal linkage between the arms cuts and the missile shield.
Obama scrapped plans last year for interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic pursued by his predecessor as protection against possible Iranian strikes in an apparent move to ease Russian security concerns.
In February, however, Romania and Bulgaria said they were in talks with the Obama administration on deploying elements of the U.S. missile shield on their territories from 2015, triggering an angry reaction from Moscow.