Russia wants binding arms agreement

MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin made it clear Thursday Russia will not drop its demand that cuts in nuclear warheads must be outlined in a legally binding, irreversible and verifiable treaty with the United States.

"The president once again confirmed the country's fundamental position that we can speak only of legally drafted obligations that will control the cuts," Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said after a meeting with Putin, according to the ITAR-Tass agency.

The remarks appeared to be aimed at reinforcing Russia's stand on nuclear arms reductions amid a series of high-level meetings between Putin's ministers and top officials from the United States and other Western countries.

Ivanov is to meet with top Western defense officials in Germany and Italy beginning this weekend, and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov met with Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday during a visit to the United States.

U.S. and Russian officials held talks Tuesday in Washington on proposed new arms control agreement, which both countries want to seal when Bush visits Russia this spring. The summit will take place May 23-25, Russian officials said Thursday.

At a summit last November in the United States, Bush pledged to slash the U.S. nuclear arsenal to between 1,700 and 2,200 warheads, while Putin has said that Russia could go as low as 1,500.

The Kremlin has insisted that the reductions should be codified in a formal treaty.

The Bush administration has said it prefers an informal arrangement, but has expressed willingness to consider the Russian demand.