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Ukrainian side's striving to obtain additional security guarantees. The offer by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to sign the Russian-U.S. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in Kyiv is connected with the desire of the Ukrainian side to obtain additional security guarantees, a Defense Ministry representative has told Interfax-Ukraine.

Thus, the new president wants to testify Ukraine's contribution to the maintenance of relations between Russia and the United States, as well as to get certain security guarantees, the ministry's representative said.

"We offer Moscow and Washington a neutral territory to sign such an important document and, thus, we will make our own contribution to the maintenance of relations between these countries. Moreover, Kyiv expects additional security guaranties," he said.

According to the media, Yanukovych proposed during his visit to Moscow on March 5, 2010 that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the Russian-U.S. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Kyiv.

As reported, Russian and U.S. officials stated that they were close to completing work on drafting the new treaty that will replace the old START that expired on December 5, 2009.

The START 1 was signed in Moscow on July 31, 1991 and came into force on December 5, 1994, a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia and the United States had met their obligations under the START 1.

The new treaty proposes a further reduction in the number of nuclear warheads and missiles.