GM - 1 0 9 G ▁Gr ound ▁La unch ed ▁Cru ise ▁Miss iles ▁( GL CM s ) ▁to ▁Belg ium , ▁Italy , ▁the ▁Netherlands , ▁and ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom ▁beginning ▁in ▁December ▁ 1 9 8 3 . ▁ ▁Ford ▁and ▁N ixon ▁had ▁sought ▁to ▁reach ▁agreement ▁on ▁a ▁second ▁round ▁of ▁the ▁Str ateg ic ▁Ar ms ▁Lim itation ▁Tal ks ▁( S AL T ), ▁which ▁had ▁set ▁upper ▁limits ▁on ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁nuclear ▁weapons ▁possessed ▁by ▁both ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁and ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union . ▁Carter ▁hoped ▁to ▁extend ▁these ▁tal ks ▁by ▁reaching ▁an ▁agreement ▁to ▁reduce , ▁rather ▁than ▁merely ▁set ▁upper ▁limits ▁on , ▁the ▁nuclear ▁ar sen als ▁of ▁both ▁countries . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁he ▁critic ized ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ' s ▁record ▁with ▁regard ▁to ▁human ▁rights , ▁partly ▁because ▁he ▁believed ▁the ▁public ▁would ▁not ▁support ▁negoti ations ▁with ▁the ▁S ovi ets ▁if ▁the ▁president ▁seemed ▁too ▁willing ▁to ▁accommod ate ▁the ▁S ovi ets . ▁Carter ▁and ▁Soviet ▁Le ader ▁Leon id ▁Bre zh ne v ▁reached ▁an ▁agreement ▁in ▁June ▁ 1 9 7 9 ▁in ▁the ▁form ▁of ▁S AL T ▁II , ▁but ▁Carter ' s ▁w an ing ▁popular ity ▁and ▁the ▁opposition ▁of ▁Republic ans ▁and ▁ne o con serv ative ▁Democr ats ▁made ▁rat ification ▁difficult . ▁The ▁Soviet ▁invasion ▁of ▁Afghan istan ▁ended ▁det ente ▁and ▁re open ed ▁the ▁Cold ▁War , ▁while ▁ending ▁talk