美国总统奥巴马和俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫星期四在捷克共和国首都布拉格举行的仪式上签署了一项重要的削减核武器条约。
这项条约规定，美俄两国削减各自30%的核武器储备，使两国各拥有大约1500件战略核武器。新条约取代了已过期的1991年签署的《战略武器削减条约》。新的协议是美俄两国谈判代表进行了将近一年的会谈之后达成的。
奥巴马把这份条约称为“核安全和不扩散以及美俄关系上的重要里程碑”。
梅德韦杰夫赞扬这项条约的签署是一次历史性的事件，将为双边合作展开新的篇章。
新条约生效之前必须得到美国国会参议院和俄罗斯议会的批准。
俄罗斯外交部长拉夫罗夫说，如果俄罗斯认为美国的欧洲导弹防御计划威胁到俄罗斯的安全，俄罗斯保留退出协议的权利。
奥巴马承诺将就导弹防御问题与俄罗斯进行更多磋商。
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev have signed a major nuclear arms reduction treaty, during a ceremony in the Czech Republic capital, Prague Thursday.
The pact cuts both countries’ nuclear arsenals by as much as 30 percent, leaving each with about 1,500 strategic nuclear weapons. The deal replaces the expired 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and comes after nearly a year of talks between U.S. and Russian negotiators.
Mr. Obama called the new treaty an “important milestone for nuclear security and nonproliferation and for U.S. – Russia relations.”
His Russian counterpart, Mr. Medvedev, hailed the signing as a historic event that would launch a new chapter of bilateral cooperation.
The U.S. Senate and Russia’s parliament must both ratify the treaty in order for it to take effect.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow reserves the right to drop out of the pact if it believes U.S. missile defense plans for Europe threaten its security.
Mr. Obama pledged more conversation with Russia about the issue of missile defense.