US President Barack Obama's vision of a world without nuclear arms moves closer to reality on Thursday when he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a treaty aimed at sharply reducing US and Russian arsenals while working to repair soured relations.

 

After long and difficult negotiations, the United States and Russia last month agreed on a historic new treaty to reduce their nuclear arsenals.

Both countries will reduce strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 over seven years.

Susan Burk, Nuclear Nonproliferation Special Rep., said, "... it will help the United States and Russia build trust ..."

Daryl Kimball, Arms Control Association, said, "... the conclusion of the new START is an important diplomatic achievement for the United States and Russia ..."

The agreement, known as "new START" comes despite an ongoing disagreement between Washington and Moscow over US missile defense plans and NATO's expansion to the borders of Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the new US-Russian arms control treaty is a much better deal for Russia than its predecessor. However, Moscow is reserving the right to withdraw from it if the Kremlin feels a planned US missile defense system becomes a threat.

Daryl Kimball said, "... we gonna continue consultation. Consultation is different from negotiation."

The Czech capital served as the backdrop for the presidents of the two countries to sign the treaty. But experts say the goal of building a nuclear-free world remains unfulfilled.