Clinton, Putin to meet in Russia on Friday: U.S

Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday in a last-minute addition to her visit to Moscow, a U.S. official told reporters.
Clinton arrived in Russia on Thursday to try to clear obstacles to a new treaty cutting arsenals of nuclear weapons and to win Moscow's backing for tougher sanctions against Iran.

Diplomats said that no significant breakthrough on either issue was likely without the agreement of Putin, widely seen as Russia's most powerful politician.

Putin was out of the country when Clinton visited last October. Putin's office on Wednesday said that no meeting with Clinton was planned.

The meeting will take place at Putin's residence near the Russian capital, the U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.

Clinton met Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday and was due to meet President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday. She was also due to take part in a meeting of Middle East mediators.

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