Nuclear cuts on agenda at Moscow summit

President Barack Obama was due to arrive in Moscow this morning for a summit with Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev aimed at mending badly frayed Russo-US ties.

The meeting ends a seven-year hiatus in US-Russian summitry , with each leader already having declaring his determination to further cut nuclear arsenals.

Both sides appear to want to use progress on arms control as a pathway to possible agreement on trickier issues, including Iran and Georgia, the tiny former Soviet republic.

In advance of Mr Obama’s departure yesterday, a White House official told reporters the presidents expect to announce progress on negotiations that could lead to a treaty to replace the Start I agreement, which expires on December 5.