Russia welcomes US Senate’s ratification of arms cut deal
December 23rd, 2010 - 12:22 pm ICT by IANS
Moscow, Dec 23 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has welcomed the ratification of a new US-Russia arms reduction deal by the American Senate but said it will take some time for the Russian lawmakers to study the amendments to the treaty.The US Senate Wednesday ratified the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia, with a vote of 71 for and 26 against. The agreement will come into force after ratification by both houses of the Russian parliament.
“President Dmitry Medvedev was satisfied with the news that the US Senate had ratified the new START treaty and expressed hope that Russia’s State Duma and the Federation Council would be ready to review and ratify this document,” the Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said Thursday.
However, the president believes that “the Russian parliament might need some time to study the legal aspects of the ratification by the Senate prior to making its own decision”, Timakova said.
The new START treaty, which restricts both nations to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200, was signed by Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama in April this year.
The Senate ratified the new arms pact after 18 hearings and seven days of debate, answering more than 1,000 questions in line with the document.
The White House and State Department spent several months in heavy debates with Republican lawmakers to pass the bill.
The Republicans were attempting to put the final vote off until the beginning of 2011 when the number of Republicans in the Senate would significantly increase, giving them more muscle.
A resolution, which accompanies the nuclear arms reduction treaty approved by the Senate, contains at least two minor amendments that could draw Russia’s attention - the Republican senators demanded that Pentagon should modernise the US nuclear triad and that Washington should start discussions with Moscow on Russia’s superiority in tactical nuclear weapons.
The resolution, though, does not change the nature of the treaty or the obligations of the signatories.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
hv/skb
- Medvedev ready to sign law on ratification of START - Jan 27, 2011
- Russia, US to ratify arms cut treaty in July - Jul 06, 2010
- Medvedev signs new START ratification document - Jan 28, 2011
- Russia calls on US to ratify CTBT - Aug 30, 2012
- Russia's lower house approves first reading of START treaty ratification - Dec 25, 2010
- Medvedev, Biden to meet in Moscow - Mar 09, 2011
- Medvedev approves Russian-US plutonium disposal deal - Jun 07, 2011
- Russia, US sign new arms reduction treaty (Second Lead) - Apr 08, 2010
- US missile defence plans hinder new arms cuts: Russia - Jun 30, 2012
- Clinton urges Republicans to support arms treaty with Russia - Aug 12, 2010
- Russia will counter US missile defence: Medvedev - Feb 22, 2012
- Russia, US may not agree on missile defence in Obama's tenure: US envoy - May 28, 2011
- Medvedev appoints deputy PM - Dec 28, 2011
- Medvedev congratulates Obama on independence day - Jul 05, 2011
- Medvedev, Obama to discuss missile defence - Nov 11, 2011
Tags: american senate, barack obama, dmitry medvedev, federation council, minor amendments, natalya, nuclear arms reduction, nuclear triad, nuclear warheads, ratification, republican lawmakers, republican senators, ria novosti, russian lawmakers, russian parliament, russian president, state duma, us counterpart, us senate, will take some time