Former Soviet Union

President Obama Seeks Russia Deal To Slash Nuclear Weapons
5 February 2009

TIMES ONLINE (WASHINGTON, D.C.)-President Obama will convene arms reduction talks with Russia, aiming to slash each country’s stockpile of nuclear weapons by 80 per cent. The treaty would cut the number of nuclear warheads to 1,000 each. Key to the initiative is a review of the plan for a US missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. Delaying the placement of US missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic removes what has been a major impediment to Russian co-operation on arms reduction. The reduction plan is complicated by the nuclear ambitions of Iran, which launched its first satellite into space yesterday. Mr Obama views US and Russian reduction of arms as critical to efforts to persuade countries such as Iran not to develop the Bomb. Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5654836.ece (Reliability: Moderate - 39.52)