MOSCOW, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev reiterated the interrelation between the strategic arms reduction talks
and the U.S. missile defense plan in an interview published on Sunday.
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev talks
to Italian journalists at the presidential residence Barvikha outside
Moscow, July 3, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters, File Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
"We believe that these topics are interrelated and
for understandable reasons," Medvedev said in the interview with the Italian
media, which was published on the Kremlin website.
U.S. President Barack Obama is due to arrive in
Moscow on Monday to meet Medvedev and outline benchmarks for further work on an
agreement to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) before it
expires on Dec. 5.
Medvedev also reaffirmed Russia's objection to the
deployment of anti-missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
"We have repeatedly said, and I have mentioned this
several times recently, that we are against the deployment of elements of an
anti-missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic," he said.
Meanwhile, the Russian head of state noted the
readiness of the Obama administration to discuss this topic, and he called for
compromise to reach a new deal.
"It is enough to show restraint, to show an ability
to compromise. And then we can agree on the basic foundations of a new START
treaty, and agree at the same time on how we will approach missile defense,"
said Medvedev.
"We believe that it should not be unilateral nor, in
essence, directed against one of the participants in this dialogue, a major
nuclear country such as Russia," he added.
Also on Sunday the Interfax news agency cited an
unnamed senior source from the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying that Russian
and U.S. diplomats have not yet negotiated the framework strategic arms cut
agreement that is supposed to be signed by Medvedev and Obama at the summit next
week.
"I confirm that the document has not been finally
negotiated," said the source.
Obama is scheduled to visit Moscow on July 6-8.
It will be the U.S. president's first visit to Russia
since he took office in January.
