WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sealed an agreement on Friday on a landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty and will meet to sign it on April 8 in Prague.
After months of deadlock, a breakthrough deal on a replacement for the Cold War-era START pact marked Obama's most significant foreign policy achievement since taking office and also boosts his effort to "reset" ties with Moscow.
Mr. Obama and Mr. Medvedev put the finishing touches on the historic accord during a phone call, committing the world's biggest nuclear weapons powers to big cuts in their arsenals.
"I'm pleased to announce that after a year of intense negotiations, the United States and Russia have agreed to the most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades," Mr. Obama told reporters.
In Moscow, Mr. Medvedev hailed the agreement as reflecting the "balance of the interests of both countries," the Kremlin said.
Under the 10-year agreement, each side must reduce its deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 from the 2,200 now allowed and also make significant cuts in its stockpile of launchers, the White House said.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the agreement would send a message to Iran and North Korea, countries locked in nuclear standoffs with the West, of a commitment to prevent nuclear proliferation.
"With this agreement, the United States and Russia -- the two largest nuclear powers in the world -- also send a clear signal that we intend to lead," Mr. Obama said.
"By upholding our own commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, we strengthen our global efforts to stop the spread of these weapons, and to ensure that other nations meet their own responsibilities," Mr. Obama said.
Mr. Obama and Mr. Medvedev plan to sign the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which would replace a 1991 pact that expired in December, on April 8 in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, a former Soviet satellite now in NATO.
That date is near the anniversary of Mr. Obama's speech in Prague last year offering his vision for eventually ridding the world of nuclear weapons, and will help build momentum for a nuclear security summit he will host in Washington on April 12-14.
The White House said the new treaty will not place constraints on U.S. missile defense programs, which had been a sticking point in negotiations because of Russia's opposition to such plans.
"It cuts, by about a third, the nuclear weapons that the United States and Russia will deploy. It significantly reduces missiles and launchers. It puts in place a strong and effective verification regime," Mr. Obama said.
"And it maintains the flexibility that we need to protect and advance our national security, and to guarantee our unwavering commitment to the security of our allies."
WASHINGTON -- Mr. Obama still faces a fight for U.S. Senate ratification of the treaty at a time of bipartisan rancor in the wake of a bitter fight that ended in congressional approval of his healthcare overhaul.
He said he looked forward to working closely with fellow Democrats and opposition Republicans for Senate approval of the treaty, which would require a two-thirds majority.
The new pact could strengthen Mr. Obama politically, giving him a major foreign policy success and building on the domestic political victory he scored this week when he signed sweeping healthcare reform into law.
For almost a year, Russian and U.S. negotiators have tried to reach a follow-on START pact. They missed a Dec. 5 deadline when START I expired.
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