ABSTRACT
According to the Soviet media, the Reykjavik meeting was to give the entire US-Soviet arms control process a jolt in the hope that the impasse could be overcome. Mikhail Gorbachev appeared on television to expound on the state of US-Soviet relations and the prospects for ending the arms race in the light of what happened at Reykjavik. The offers and compromises that Gorbachev made in Reykjavik were certainly a bold departure from the former rigid negotiating position. At Reykjavik, however, Gorbachev again insisted that unless the Ronald Reagan administration gave way on Strategic Defense Initiative, the Kremlin would not sign any agreement on reducing numbers of long-range and intermediate-range weapons. The explanation offered was that the meeting had led to "a new regrouping of forces in the camp of the enemies of disarmament and detente," and that consequently, "feverish efforts are being made to put up obstacles to check the process set in motion at Reykjavik".
