The Russian and U.S. presidents will direct...

The Kremlin press service said Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama had agreed on the move during a telephone conversation.

Medvedev and Obama have made replacing START 1, the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, part of their broader efforts to "reset" bilateral ties strained in recent years.

Officials have said an agreement between Russia and the United States to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expired on December 5 last year, is nearly ready and could be struck in the next two or three weeks.

However, Moscow, which views U.S. plans to deploy elements of its missile defense system in Europe as a direct threat to its security, has said further cuts in offensive nuclear weapons will not be practical unless the sides put limits on nuclear defense projects, which could create an atmosphere of distrust.

Washington says the missile shield is needed to guard against potential Iranian strikes and would pose no threat to Russia, but in a

Pages: [1] 2