US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits (WashPost) Russia Thursday to discuss a replacement for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and new sanctions against Iran. The two countries will also review their cooperation on Afghanistan. Clinton is traveling to Moscow mainly to meet with Russia, the European Union, and the UN on mediating an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Over the past year, US relations with Russia have improved on issues such as Iran and Afghanistan and arms control, officials from both countries say. Russia, once a skeptic on sanctions against Iran, has dropped its objections to sanctions, but still favors diplomatically engaging Iran before a United Nations Security Council vote.

Clinton and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hope to finalize (WSJ) the new START treaty ahead of two key nonproliferation conferences scheduled for this spring. However, they are unlikely to produce a formal agreement on nuclear weapons at the meeting.

Analysis:

In this interview, CFR's Stephen Sestanovich says as hopes are high that strategic nuclear arms talks are wrapping up, Russia's position on new UN sanctions on Iran will likely figure prominently in Clinton's trip.

In the Japan Times, Dominique Moisi says "ambition to define a common European energy and security policy toward Russia is slowly disappearing."

Background:

This interactive timeline examines the history of US-Russian relations on nuclear arms control.