MOSCOW, July 5 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Moscow could set the tone for improved bilateral relations, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says.
Obama is to arrive in Moscow Monday for talks on strategic arms reduction, a planned U.S. missile defense shield in Eastern Europe, the global economic crisis and the upcoming G8 summit.
Medvedev said he is "cautiously optimistic" the Moscow meeting could set the stage for a better relationship between Russia and Washington, RIA Novosti reported.
"At the moment, I think that we are all feeling cautiously optimistic -- both the Russian side and the American side," Medvedev said in an interview with Raitalia TV channel and the Corriere della Sera newspaper. "I hear what my colleague, President Obama, says. So we are eagerly awaiting the U.S. president's visit to our country.
"I spoke to him a few days ago on the phone, and we discussed the agenda and the process of drawing up a new treaty on strategic arms issues. This is the most important item on the agenda."
