The talk between Soviet and American leaders

The talk between Soviet and American leaders

After six years of belligerency, the Soviet and American leaders sat down to talk in November 1985 at a summit conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, considered Star Wars the central issue separating the two nations, while Reagan’s position on SDI was nonnegotiable. Both sides supported a 50% reduction in nuclear arms but disagreed on which of the systems to scale back. They signed accords on cultural and scientific exchanges and on the resumption of civil aviation ties, but there was no real agreement on human rights.