Obama in Moscow: No Decision on Missile Shield (Yet)
Staff journalist | 6th July 2009

Talks begin between American and Russian leaders

As American President Obama met his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, today in Moscow, the Polish press, along with many Poles, were waiting for a decision regarding two key words that could significantly affect the country's future: "missile shield."

However, today's meeting centred primarily around the issue of nuclear disarmament - an urgent matter considering that the last treaty concerning nuclear disarmament, the 1991 Start I treaty, is set to expire this December.

Presidents Obama and Medvedev signed a "joint understanding", requiring both countries to reduce their arsenals of nuclear warheads to below 1,675 units within seven years of the signing of a treaty.

At the moment though, no concrete decision has been reached regarding the missile shield. But the message from Moscow is clear: the missile shield is viewed as a threat to Russian sovereignty, and it is unlikely a disarmament treaty will be signed until plans for the shield are scrapped.

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