Obama and Medvedev offer to cut nuclear arsenals | World news | guardian.co.uk - 0 views
www.guardian.co.uk/...obama-russia-nuclear-medvedev
US Russia Obama Dmitry Medvedev Nuclear Weapons Start 1
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The US and Russia have agreed to work towards cutting deployed nuclear warheads to as few as 1,500 each under an agreement signed by Barack Obama on his first trip to Russia as president.
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Obama and the Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a framework deal aimed at cutting warheads to a maximum of 1,675 within seven years of a nuclear arms reduction treaty coming into force.
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Current treaties allow for a maximum of 2,200 warheads, though both sides are thought to have more than that deployed, or capable of launch. According to some expert estimates of current numbers, the new commitment would mean each side scrapping almost 1,000 warheads.
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The pact signed today also calls for the number of strategic delivery systems to be reduced to between 500 and 1,100 on each side, from 1,600 under current treaties. Such systems include intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched missiles and heavy bombers.
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Obama said he intended to host a summit on global nuclear security next year. Among a flurry of other bilateral announcements today, Russia said it was prepared to let the US fly troops and weapons across its airspace to Afghanistan.
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"We must lead by example and that's what we are doing here today," Obama said of the preliminary nuclear accord. "We resolve to reset US-Russian relations so that we can co-operate more effectively in areas of common interest."