Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met Foreign...

Anatoly Antonov, who heads the Russian delegation at talks on a new deal to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1), the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control agreement, also attended the meeting, the Kremlin said.

Lavrov and Clinton spoke on the phone earlier in the day. Neither the Kremlin nor the Foreign Ministry offered any details on the meetings.

START 1 expired on December 5, 2009. In late January, U.S. President Barack Obama and Medvedev ordered a speedy completion of the new deal.

Obama and Medvedev pledged at their first meeting in April 2009 to replace the START I treaty as part of broader efforts to "reset" bilateral ties strained in recent years.

The new treaty"s outline, as agreed on by the Russian and U.S. leaders, includes cutting nuclear arsenals to 1,500-1,675 operational warheads and delivery vehicles to 500-1,000.

MOSCOW, February 23 (RIA Novosti)