Press Release of Senator Lugar Lugar meeting with Russian officials in Moscow Friday, December 12, 2008 U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar will meet with Russian officials in Moscow next week to discuss the future of U.S.-Russian relations, current financial and energy issues, arms control issues including the START and Moscow Treaties, and food security issues. Lugar laid out these and other challenges facing the next U.S. president in an October speech to the National Defense University: http://www.lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=304306&& .   The START treaty is set to expire at the end of 2009. Lugar is a strong advocate for concluding negotiations so the treaty does not lapse (see October speech to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency:  http://www.lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=304026&&).   On Wednesday, December 17, Lugar will address a Carnegie Endowment forum on arms control and the next steps for U.S.-Russian cooperation. Lugar will hold a press conference on Friday morning, December 19. For details, media should contact U.S. Embassy Moscow Press Attache David Siefkin at 7-495-728-5131, SiefkinDR@state.gov.   During the week, Lugar will meet with First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin.   Lugar will meet with Rosatom Nuclear Energy State Corporation Director Sergei Kiriyenko. He will also meet with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and chairman of the Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov.   Lugar will meet with additional officials on the START Treaty extension. Meetings are scheduled to discuss the global food crisis as well as energy issues. He will also meet with members from the Moscow chapter of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.   In November 1991, Lugar (R-IN) and former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA) authored the Nunn-Lugar Act, which established the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. The program has helped establish them among the most frequent interlocutors between Washington and Moscow.   Lugar makes annual oversight trips to Nunn-Lugar sites in the former Soviet Union.   On the web: The Nunn-Lugar program: http://lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar/ The Nunn-Lugar scorecard: http://lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar/scorecard.html   # # #