Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday he hopes the United States will ratify the new U.S.-Russian strategic arms reduction pact.
"I hope legislators in the United States will display a responsible approach, the more so as not only the Russian Federation is interested in a strategic offensive arms reduction treaty," Medvedev told journalists after a NATO-Russia Council meeting.
"The United States is no less interested in it, just as are all other countries," the Russian leader said.
Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama signed the new treaty on April 8 in Prague to replace the START 1 agreement that expired in December 2009. It will come into force after being ratified by both houses of the Russian parliament and the U.S. Senate.
Asked what could happen to the much-heralded "reset" in bilateral relations should Obama fail to push the ratification through, Medvedev said: "It would be a pity."
"In this case, many people's efforts aimed at... resetting the relations — not only between Russia and the United States but also between Russia and NATO — would be wasted," he said.
The Republicans won a solid majority in the U.S. congressional elections in early November. This means it will be more difficult for Obama to secure the ratification of the treaty after the new Congressmen take up their positions in January.
The new Russian-U.S. pact obligates both nations to cap their fielded strategic nuclear weapons to 1,550 warheads, while the number of deployed and non-deployed delivery vehicles must not exceed 800 on either side.
The treaty has met strong Republican opposition in the Senate over concerns that it may weaken U.S. anti-missile defenses, while the proponents of the treaty insist that the most important part of the accord is that it continues the verification and monitoring regime that expired with the end of the START 1 treaty.
Medvedev also said Saturday that Russia will act symmetrically with the United States regarding the treaty ratification.
LISBON, November 21 (RIA Novosti)
