Russia reaffirms opposition to US presence in Central Asia

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — A senior U.S. diplomat is holding talks in Moscow on security issues including arms control and the situation in Afghanistan. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland arrived in Moscow Monday on a three-day visit for talks that the U.S. State Department said would touch on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said after Tuesday’s meeting with Nuland that they discussed arms control issues and the situation in Afghanistan among other subjects. Ryabkov told the Interfax news agency that he reaffirmed Moscow’s strong opposition to any U.S. presence in the former Soviet Central Asian nations following the American exit from Afghanistan.