| Moscow Summit | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Soviet Union |
| Dates | June 28 – July 3, 1974 |
| Cities | Moscow Yalta |
| Venues | Kremlin Palace Oreanda |
| Participants | Leonid Brezhnev Richard Nixon |
| Follows | Washington Summit (1973) |
| Precedes | Vladivostok Summit Meeting on Arms Control |
TheMoscow Summit of 1974 was a summit meeting betweenPresidentRichard Nixon of theUnited States andGeneral SecretaryLeonid Brezhnev of theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union. It was held June 28–1 July 1974.[1] It featured the signing of theThreshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT). The summit followed theWashington Summit the previous year as well as considerable progress in U.S.-Soviet relations made by Nixon in the previous two years.[2][3] The visit was the final one of Nixon's presidency as he would give hisresignation speech in August of that year.
Nixon arrived atVnukovo International Airport in Moscow on June 27 to a military welcome ceremony performed by members of the99th Independent Commandant's Battalion. He was also met with cheering crowds before he went to theGrand Kremlin Palace for astate dinner that evening.[4] In the three day period that followed, he held talks with Leonid Brezhnev, Foreign MinisterAndrei Gromyko, and other Soviet officials which culminated in the signing of an economic agreement that will last adecade on 30 June.[5] Nixon and Brezhnev from there met once again inSimferopol andYalta, cities in theCrimea region of theUkrainian SSR. It was rumored that officials from theWhite House officials did not want Nixon to go to Yalta due to adverse connotations with theYalta Conference of 1945.[6] They met at Brezhnev's residence ofOreanda. They discussed a proposed mutual defense pact, détente, andMIRVs.[7] Nixon considered proposing a comprehensive test-ban treaty, however felt that it would be completed during his presidency.[4] Officials contacts were made between theSupreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and theUnited States Congress.[8] At the end of the summit, Nixon undertook a visit toMinsk inBelarusian SSR to attend celebrations in honor of the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus. He was hosted by regional First SecretaryPyotr Masherov, who accompanied Nixon when he laid a wreath onVictory Square. He was also accorded astate dinner by Chairman of the Presidium of theSupreme Soviet of Belarus Fyodor Surganov.[9]
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