Top Medvedev Advisor: Us, Russia To Sign Framework Arms Document

A top Russian official says U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitri Medvedev, will sign a framework declaration on arms reductions at next week's Moscow summit.

Sergei Prikhodko, a key advisor to Mr. Medvedev, says the declaration will outline key instructions to negotiators of both countries working on an agreement to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that expires in December.

The Russian official says his country hopes for agreement on the new treaty either by the end of this year or early in 2010.

Prikhodko says the two leaders also will sign an agreement on transit across Russia of U.S. military cargoes to Afghanistan.

President Obama meets with Mr. Medvedev Monday and with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Tuesday.

In an interview with the Associated Press Thursday, Mr. Obama said he wants to tell Mr. Putin that old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russian relations are outdated.

Mr. Medvedev said in Moscow Thursday that he hopes next week's summit will find new avenues of cooperation with Washington.


Some information for this report was provided by AFP.