The new START treaty secured enough votes in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday to close out debate and move to the final approval stages.
At the end of the debate, 67 senators had voted for and 28 against the ratification of the treaty. 60 votes were needed to end the debate.
Senator Bob Corker became the ninth Republican to confirm his vote for the new START arms reduction treaty with Russia on Tuesday, giving it the two-third majority needed for ratification.
He announced his support on the Senate floor, saying that "there's nothing that I think most of us care about more than our country being secure."
Senators Bob Bennett, Johnny Isakson, and Lamar Alexander came out in favor of the treaty earlier on Tuesday, following earlier announcements by Richard Lugar, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Scott Brown and George Voinovich. Senator Judd Gregg also plans to vote for the treaty, according to media.
Many Republicans claim the treaty could stand in the way of the modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
The presidents of Russia and the United States, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama, signed the treaty in April.
The pact restricts both nations to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads, while the number of deployed and non-deployed delivery vehicles must not exceed 800 on either side.
The agreement will come into force after simultaneous ratification by both houses of the Russian parliament and the U.S. Senate.
Medvedev has made it clear that the treaty will not be ratified by Russia's parliament until it receives final approval from the U.S. Senate.
WASHINGTON, December 22 (RIA Novosti)
