U.S., Russia Reach Nuclear Arms Accord, Kremlin Says (Update3)

By Anna Shiryaevskaya and Roger Runningen

March 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. and Russian negotiators have reached agreement on all elements of a treaty to slash the nuclear arsenals of both nations, a Kremlin official said, and an accord may be signed as soon as next month in Prague.

Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev likely would meet in the Czech capital for the signing, though the time and place haven’t been made final, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with Kremlin policy.

Obama’s spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said “there are still some things that need to be worked out” before a deal on a replacement for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is sealed. Obama and Medvedev still need to speak again, a conversation that likely will take place in the next few days, he said.

The U.S. and Russia have been negotiating the terms of an accord to meet calls by Medvedev and Obama for a reduction of their nuclear arsenals to between 1,500 and 1,675 deployed warheads and between 500 and 1,100 delivery systems. Under Start, which expired in December, each side is permitted a maximum of 2,200 warheads and 1,600 launch vehicles.

Medvedev and Obama have made signing a new nuclear arms accord a priority as they try to repair ties that sank to a post-Cold War low under Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush.

Breakthrough

“This is a major diplomatic and domestic political breakthrough for the president at a critical time,” said Stephen Flanagan, vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“While the actual reductions achieved would be modest,” he said, it suggests a “reset in relations with Moscow is starting to pay some dividends” that may lead to more weapons reductions in years ahead.

While Gibbs and the Kremlin official refused to confirm the timing for a signing ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Moscow last week that the former Cold War foes may sign the treaty in early April.

Officials in Prague have been notified that the two leaders are seeking to sign the accord in the Czech capital.

“We were asked whether we’d agree to host the meeting in Prague when negotiations are finished and we agreed,” ministry spokesman Filip Kanda said earlier today. Czech President Vaclav Klaus was informed about the plans for a summit there today by the Russian ambassador, his office said.

Prague Speech

It was in Prague last April where, Obama pledged during a public speech outside Hradcany Castle to push for ratification of the 13-year-old Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and pursue the goal of a nuclear-free world.

“The United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons,” Obama said in his April 5 speech. “To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same.”

“I would anticipate that when we have something to sign, it will be in Prague,” Gibbs said.

Medvedev is scheduled to visit neighboring Slovakia on April 6-7, the office of Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic said in an e-mailed statement.

Obama and Medvedev’s meeting may come before the U.S. president’s summit on nuclear security April 12-13 in Washington. Flanagan said having a weapons reduction treaty in hand may help Obama push his broader non-proliferation agenda at the meeting.

Consultations

Obama held private briefings today with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John F. Kerry, a Democrat, and the panel’s top Republican, Senator Richard Lugar, on the arms- reduction talks. They will play key roles in Senate ratification of any treaty. A treaty also would be subject to approval by the Russian parliament.

“I assured the president that we strongly support his efforts, and that if the final negotiations and all that follows go smoothly, we will work to ensure that the Senate can act on the treaty this year,” Kerry, of Massachusetts, said in a statement afterward.

He said the committee will begin hearings sometime after Congress returns from its Easter holiday break.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Shiryaevskaya in Moscow at ashiryaevska@bloomberg.net; Roger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 24, 2010 14:37 EDT