President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in Prague, Czech Republic, a document that they said ushers in a new era of bilateral cooperation and promotes global stability. “Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and non-proliferation, and for US-Russia relations,” stated Obama at the signing ceremony. Medvedev said the agreement “enhances strategic stability” and enables the two nations “to rise to a higher level for cooperation.” Upon entry into force of the “New START Treaty,” each side would slash its deployed nuclear warhead levels to 1,550 and reduce to 800 its total number of ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and nuclear-capable bombers. Obama said he expects the treaty to pave the way for further nuclear reductions and for substantive cooperation with Russia on ballistic missile defense. (Obama-Medvedev transcript) (Click here for treaty text.) See also:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s April 8 op-ed in the Washington Post Vice President Joe Biden’s April 7 op-ed in the Los Angeles Times NSC senior adviser Brian McKeon’s April 8 blog entry