DTN News: U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev Discuss New START Treaty

DTN News: U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev Discuss New START Treaty *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - November 16, 2009: U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev say they still plan to have a replacement nuclear arms reduction treaty ready by the end of the year.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev during their meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Singapore, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. Obama said Sunday the United States and Russia would have a replacement treaty on reducing nuclear arms ready for approval by year's end, an announcement designed as an upbeat ending to a summit with Asia-Pacific leaders.

The two presidents met in Singapore Sunday after the close of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

The two leading nuclear powers have committed to a replacement for their Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expires on December 5.Earlier this year, Mr. Obama and Mr. Medvedev agreed to reduce Cold War-era stockpiles from 2,200 warheads to somewhere between 1,500 and 1,650.

That agreement is part of a commitment from both leaders to reset bilateral relations strained in recent years by differences over NATO expansion and the brief Russian-Georgian war of 2008.