The United States will probably make a statement...

The Kremlin"s press service said that Russia intends to make a statement on the U.S. plans for missile shield in Europe in a separate document to accompany the treaty.

"A possible U.S. statement in response will have the same status," the Kremlin said.

In February, Bulgaria and Romania said they were in talks with U.S. President Barack Obama"s administration on deploying elements of the U.S. missile shield on their territories from 2015.

The move came after Obama scrapped last September plans by the Bush administration to deploy missile-defense elements in the Czech Republic and Poland due to a reassessment of the threat from Iran. Russia fiercely opposed the plans as a threat to its national security.

Medvedev and Obama are to sign a new strategic arms treaty on Thursday in Prague. The pact will replace the START 1 treaty, the cornerstone of post-Cold War arms control, which expired on December 5.

MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti)