Russia and the United States may agree a draft deal to slash vast stockpiles of Cold War nuclear weapons by the time US President Barack Obama visits Moscow in July, a Kremlin spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Finding a replacement for the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) before it expires on December 5 could herald a thaw in relations between the world's two biggest nuclear powers.
In Geneva, the latest round of negotiations on a successor to START entered its second day on Tuesday. Diplomats from both sides have said they hope progress can be made before Obama visits Moscow on July 6-8 for a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. "I would not say categorically that we will not manage to get to a more concrete agreement," said Medvedev's chief spokeswoman Natalya Timakova when asked by a reporter if a draft deal could be ready for the Obama visit.
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