Russia"s parliament is unlikely to ratify...

"The issue of interrelationship between a strategic arms reduction treaty and the missile defense system has always been and remains a key issue of Russian-U.S. accords in the spheres of arms control," Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the State Duma committee for international relations, told RIA Novosti.

"If the connection between the strategic arms reduction treaty and missile defense is not exhaustively fixed by the sides in preparing the treaty... this would automatically create obstacles for subsequent ratification of the document in the State Duma and create additional difficulties for further advance in cutting strategic offensive weapons," he added.

Kosachyov, in Washington for a joint session of U.S. and Russian lawmakers, told reporters on Tuesday that U.S. counterparts said the Senate was unlikely to ratify any document that included a formal linkage between the arms cuts and missile shield.

Officials say an agreement between Russia and the United States

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