Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, will consider on Friday in the second reading a draft law on the ratification of a new arms reduction deal with the United States.
Russian lawmakers added a number of provisions to the original text after the approval of the first draft on December 24.
The new additions focus on grounds for Russia's withdrawal from the treaty and the president's obligation to adopt a program for the development of Russia's strategic nuclear forces.
Grounds for withdrawal will include violation of the START treaty by the United States, the unilateral deployment by the U.S. of missile defense systems endangering Russia's national security, and the adoption of strategic non-nuclear weapon systems by the U.S. without Russia's consent.
The new treaty, replacing the START 1 that expired in December 2009, was signed in Prague last April by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama. The document slashes the Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200.
The U.S. Senate ratified the deal on December 22, but added several amendments to the resolution on ratification, including a demand to build up U.S. global missile defenses.
By introducing their own amendments to the ratification law, the Russian lawmakers want to ensure the parity of the treaty.
The new strategic arms reduction agreement will come into force after ratification by both houses of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and the Federation Council.
The third and final reading in the State Duma is expected on January 25.
MOSCOW, January 14 (RIA Novosti)
