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MOSCOW (CNN) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has invited U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to his private residence in suburban Barvikha for a discussion Tuesday of a broad range of issues in what one senior State Department official called a "relaxed setting."

Issues on the agenda for the two-hour meeting include the next steps on Iran, the Mideast conflict, cooperation on Afghanistan, possible joint work on a missile defense system, Russia's "neighborhood" and climate change.

Clinton also will meet with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, following up on many of the same issues, as well as getting progress reports on the new bilateral presidential commission they jointly chair. The commission, created by presidents Medvedev and Barack Obama during Obama's July visit to Moscow, has 16 working groups dealing with a number of aspects of the relationship, from arms control to health care.

A key issue during Clinton's two-day visit to Russia will be arms control and reaching an accord to replace the 1991 Start II arms control agreement, which expires in December.

Also at the top of the agenda are Iran and international efforts to induce Tehran to end its nuclear program. A senior administration official, briefing reporters on background because of the diplomatic sensitivity of the
talks, said Clinton will speak with Medvedev and Lavrov "about what specific forms of pressure Russia would be prepared to join the U.S. and other nations in."
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MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement Monday that will help U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan.

The deal will allow the United States to transport personnel and equipment across Russian territory to supply U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan.

"This is a substantial contribution by Russia to our international effort, and it will save the United States time and resources in giving our troops the support that they need," Obama said at a news conference with Medvedev.
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MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) – U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a "joint understanding" Monday committing the United States and Russia to a new, legally binding arms-control treaty, according to a statement released by the White House.

The treaty will limit the number of nuclear warheads each side can deploy and the number of missiles they have to launch them.

It is designed to replace the Start I agreement, which is nearly two decades old and expires December 5.

The two countries will "conduct a joint review of the entire spectrum of means at our disposal that allow us to cooperate on monitoring the development of missile programs around the world," Obama and Medvedev said in a joint statement.

Citing the dangers of ballistic missile proliferation, the two leaders called "upon all countries having a missile potential to refrain from steps that could lead to missile proliferation and undermine regional and global stability."
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