The U.S. administration is ready to conduct talks with Russia on further nuclear arms reductions, including non-strategic weapons, a senior State Department official said.
"The New START Treaty sets the stage for further limits on and reductions in nuclear arms," Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Rose Gottemoeller said.
"As President Obama stated when he signed the New START Treaty, once the Treaty enters into force, the United States intends to pursue with Russia further reductions in strategic and non-strategic nuclear weapons, including non-deployed nuclear weapons," she said.
A number of senior U.S. officials voiced the proposal to start talks with Russia on further arms cuts, including tactical nuclear weapons (TNW).
When ratifying the New START deal with Moscow in December, the U.S. Senate adopted a resolution obligating the government to start bilateral talks on cutting the TNW stockpiles - landmines, artillery shells and short-range missiles. Washington says Moscow has a larger number of these systems.
President Barack Obama said in a message to the Senate early this month his country expects to hold talks with Russia on TNW within a year after the New START arms reduction treaty comes into force.
WASHINGTON, February 24 (RIA Novosti)
