Lavrov: US missile defense plans must be considered in nuclear talks

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US missile defense plans need to be taken into account in talks on further reductions in nuclear arsenals, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday. Lavrov said that it is impossible to achieve progress in negotiating a new arms control treaty without taking into consideration the planned missile shield. Lavrov spoke as Russian and US negotiators continued their talks to work out a replacement to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START I, which expires in December. The talks started in Moscow Tuesday. US President Barack Obama has put his predecessor's plan for a missile defense in Europe on hold, but Russia wants the US to scrap the anti-missile system altogether. Lavrov's statement followed a similar warning from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.