Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is optimistic over the Russian-U.S. new strategic arms reduction treaty (START) ratification by the U.S. Senate.
The Senate is due to hold a final vote on the arms pact on Wednesday.
"My colleague, Barack Obama, is struggling with his lawmakers in attempts to persuade them to ratify the document. I hope he will succeed," Medvedev, who is currently on an official visit to India, told students at the Indian Institute of Technology.
The treaty, which restricts both nations to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200, was signed by Russian and U.S. presidents Medvedev and Obama in April.
The agreement will come into force after ratification by both houses of the Russian parliament and the U.S. Senate. Medvedev has made it clear that Russia will not ratify the treaty until the pact is finally approved by the U.S. Senate.
The deal is an important part of the efforts to "reset" relations between Russia and the United States. However, many Republicans still maintain that it could stand in the way of the modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
The Russian president also called on the international community to eliminate the risks of using weapons of mass destruction, adding that total disarmament however was impossible in the near future.
Medvedev said the Russian-U.S. arms reduction treaty was a landmark step towards disarmament.
MUMBAI, December 22 (RIA Novosti)
