Obama to set new agreement to cut Russian, U.S. nuclear weapons

A reduction in U.S. and Russian deployed nuclear weapons is set to be announced by President Barack Obama on Tuesday, a senior administration official said.

The move aims to cut the weapons by up to one third below the level achieved in the last “New START” treaty with Russia, Reuters news agency reported.

“The President will also articulate the goal of reducing U.S. and Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, pledging to work with NATO allies to develop proposals that can be explored with Russia to achieve this goal,” the official said.

The bilateral deal represents a renewed commitment to secure vulnerable nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, and the White House described it as “a new framework for cooperative threat reduction,” The Washington Times reported.

“This, I think, is an example of the kind of constructive, cooperative relationship that moves us out of a Cold War mindset into the realm where, by working together, we not only increase security and prosperity for the Russian and American people, but also help lead the world to a better place,” Obama said Monday night, following his closed-door meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.