The United States government began negotiations for a new arms control agreement with Russia, aiming for the reduction of arsenals down to approximately 1,500 war heads per country and initiating ‘mutual cooperation’ regarding antimissile defense systems, an issue that provokes strong tensions among the two nations:
‘What better way to begin our bilateral relationship with Russia than with an agreement to reduce these nuclear arsenals?’, Obama declared in a London press conference held before the bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart.
The official press announcement was delivered after the meeting with Obama and Medvedev who pointed out “differences” among the two nations regarding the antimissile radar defense system the United States wants to install in Eastern Europe, a plan sharply opposed by Russia. This antimissile defense system plan is considered as an arm of first attack on Iran.
