Medvedev, Obama Agree to Roll Back Nukes

Move a step toward repairing US-Russian relations

(AP) - President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed today to sharp cuts in the nuclear arsenals of both nations in the most comprehensive arms control treaty in two decades. "We have turned words into action," Obama declared. He said the pact, to be signed April 8 in Prague, was part of his effort to reset relations with Russia and a step on a path toward "the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons." More»

Deal will be finalized in upcoming meeting between Obama, Medvedev

(AP) - The United States and Russia have reached an agreement on "all documents" necessary to sign a new nuclear arms treaty, a senior Kremlin official said today, and the White House said the two nations are "very close" to signing it. President Obama spent an hour today in the White House briefing Senate Foreign Relations Committee honchos John Kerry and Richard Lugar on the effort to ratify the treaty. Czech officials announced that Prague will host the treaty's signing, but didn't give a date. More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama arrived in Moscow today, for a trip intended to “reset” relations that have been frosty since the Georgia conflict, the New York Times reports. The US president laid a wreath at Russia’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, before meeting Dmitry Medvedev for negotiations. Obama’s main goal is to reach an agreement on reducing nuclear stockpiles, but he’ll also touch on Afghanistan, Iran’s nuclear program, and other issues. More»

Missile defense 'extraordinarily complex'

(NEWSER) - Asked about yesterday's "oops" when he and Dmitri Medvedev were overheard talking about European missile defense , the first thing President Obama said was, "Are the mikes on?" That got laughs, but Obama quickly turned serious, the Washington Post reports, calling missile defense "extraordinarily complex." He added, "I don’t think it’s any surprise that you can’t start that a few months before a presidential and congressional elections in the United States," not to mention elections in Russia. More»

President issues nuclear warnings to North Korea, Iran

(NEWSER) - President Obama still thinks we could stand to get rid of a bunch of our nukes, and has promised a renewed effort to cut American and Russian nuclear arsenals following 2010's START treaty . "We can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need," the president said during a speech in Seoul, noting that he and Vladimir Putin will discuss nuclear cuts when they meet in May. "I firmly believe that we can ensure the security of the United States and our allies, maintain a strong deterrent against any threat, and still pursue further reductions in our nuclear arsenal." More»