Obama faces negotiations test in Russia

WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Sunday was preparing to leave on a trip to Russia for his first nuts-and-bolts negotiations with rival leaders, analysts say.

Obama arrives in Moscow Monday after his administration had made it clear they want to "hit the reset button" on the United States' relationship with Russia in the fields of arms control, missile defense and nuclear non-proliferation, The Washington Post reported.

Observers will be watching to see how well Obama does in what likely will be hardball negotiations with his Russian counterpart, President Dmitry Medvedev, who wants U.S. pledges to scrap a missile defense system in Eastern Europe as well as guarantees Washington won't seek to draw former the Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO.

Obama, meanwhile, is seeking Russian cooperation backing tough sanctions against Iran if he can't produce a diplomatic breakthrough to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"We're not going to reassure or give or trade anything with the Russians regarding NATO expansion or missile defense," Michael McFaul, special assistant to the president and senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs, told the Post.