US and Russia agree to cut their nuclear arsenals

President Barack Obama hailed a breakthrough in America's relationship with Russia on Wednesday when the two countries agreed to cut their nuclear arsenals. Mr Obama's first meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, on the margins of the G20 summit in London, showed a significant thaw between the two powers. The leaders agreed in principle to reduce their strategic nuclear warheads. Talks on a new disarmament treaty will begin "immediately", with the aim of replacing an existing accord which expires in December. Mr Obama and Mr Medvedev pledged to review progress in July. The two leaders have "decided to move further along the path of reducing and limiting strategic offensive arms," said their joint statement. The era when Russia and America "viewed each other as enemies" was "long over". Mr Obama said he was "very encouraged" by his meeting with Mr Medvedev, adding: "What we're seeing today is the beginning of new progress in the US-Russian relationship". Russia's economy has been gravely weakened by the fall in the oil price, which has tumbled from a peak of $147 per barrel last summer to about $50 today. Deprived of this windfall, the Kremlin finds it harder to pose as a rival to America. Moreover, Russia has a vital interest in reaching a new agreement on nuclear disarmament. The Moscow Treaty, signed by America and Russia in 2002, allows each country to deploy a maximum of 2,200 strategic warheads. But Russia's arsenal is so dilapidated that it may soon be impossible for the Kremlin to maintain anything like that number. While Russia is believed to have a total stockpile of about 10,000 weapons, more than 70 per cent are probably non-operational. Many of the deployed warheads are reaching the end of their life cycles and will soon have to be withdrawn. Even without another disarmament agreement, Russia's nuclear arsenal will probably drop towards the possible new limit of 1,500 warheads. Mr Medvedev wants to make sure that America does the same, hence his willingness to reach a deal. Washington's arsenal is in far better shape than Russia's. Of a total stockpile of 5,200 nuclear weapons, more than half are operational. America presently deploys 2,200 strategic and 500 sub-strategic warheads - and it will have little difficulty in sustaining this number. By setting a lower limit, Russia can avoid the risk of falling far behind America and ensure that it maintains nuclear parity. Mr Obama, who met his Russian countepart in Winfield House, the official residence of the US Ambassador beside Regent's Park, agreed to visit Moscow in July. A senior White House official described the talks as a "very significant breakthrough" and said that Mr Medvedev saw the chance to make a new start with a President "not bound by the past eight years or the Cold War". Another US official stressed the importance of a future agreement on disarmament. "For a long time we've been out of the business of doing verifiable treaties," he said.