"I've tried to negotiate with Russians, and was able to get, when I first came to office, a START-II [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] treaty that reduced the stockpiles of Russian and US nuclear weapons. I think we can go further but so far Russia has not shown its self-interest in doing more," Obama said in an interview with the Japanese NHK broadcaster.
The US leader added that at the same time there was a progress in the situation of nuclear disarmament in the world, as the major nuclear powers did not build up new weapons.
Russia and the United States as the countries with the largest world nuclear arsenals have a reach history of agreements regulating their nuclear capabilities. Washington and Moscow clinched a number of accords regulating the amount of nuclear weapons the countries can possess, such as START or Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement (SALT) and the measures of arms control, such as on-site inspections.
Under the New START agreement, signed by Moscow and Washington in 2010, the countries must limit the number of deployed ballistic missiles and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments to 700 and deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550. The treaty obliges the two nations to meet the stipulated limits on strategic arms by February 5, 2018.
