Landmark nuclear treaty limiting Russia and U.S. weapons clinched
The U.S. and Russia have finalised a landmark arms treaty to limit the nuclear arsenals of the former Cold War foes.
The New START treaty limits each side to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from 2,200 and re-establishes a monitoring system that ended in 2009.
The agreement, a cornerstone of Barack Obama's efforts to 'reset' US relations with Russia, came into effect as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exchanged ratification papers with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Munich yesterday.
Treaty: The U.S.-Russia deal limits the nuclear arsenals of the former Cold War foes
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed it as a 'milestone on the road to our ultimate goal: achieving a world free of nuclear weapons'.
The U.S. Secretary of State said: 'The treaty marks significant progress toward President Obama's vision of a world without nuclear weapons.
'Partnership with Russia is vital to our continued progress and to all that we hope to accomplish,' she said.
'We must build the habits of cooperation that let us rise above our differences to address urgent matters of global security together.
'When it comes to the button that has worried us the most over the years - the one that would unleash nuclear destruction - today we take another step to ensure it will never be pushed.'
Agreement: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exchanged ratification papers with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Munich
The New START treaty - the first major revamping of nuclear disarmament deals since the late Cold War era - was approved by the U.S. Senate in December after a bruising fight during which Obama pressed strongly for its passage. Russia ratified the deal last month.
Hail: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the deal as a 'milestone on the road to our ultimate goal: achieving a world free of nuclear weapons'
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov suggested that the two countries could build upon the new treaty in other areas, saying that 'coordinated efforts' were needed in missile defence, and that Moscow also was willing to talk about tactical nuclear weapon reductions.
It was disclosed yesterday that America is to give the Russians details of Britain's Trident missiles under the new treaty, according to the latest WikiLeaks revelations.
The deal will see Moscow given information about the missiles, which are manufactured and maintained in America.
The Daily Telegraph claims the Americans used the details of British nuclear secrets as a 'bargaining chip' to persuade Russia to sign the key treaty.
The treaty builds on the original START, or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, initially proposed by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan, which went into effect in 1994.
The conclusion of the New START treaty comes the day before the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth.
New START, negotiated last year, also limits the number of deployed strategic launchers and heavy bombers to 700.
The pact also re-establishes a monitoring system that ended in December 2009 with the expiration of an earlier arms deal. Russia and the U.S. have the right to conduct onsite inspections beginning 60 days from the agreement going into effect Saturday.
The two countries have seven years to meet the treaty's central limits.
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