US, Russia Pledge Further Nuclear Weapons Cuts (1/3)

Arms control advocates have been critical of the administrations of both Presidents Bush and Putin for allegedly neglecting arms control.

But a joint statement here said the two powers are fully committed to non-proliferation, and intend to reduce their offensive strategic nuclear arsenals "to the lowest possible level" consistent with national security needs and alliance commitments.

The last strategic nuclear arms reduction, or START, treaty between Washington and Moscow, reached in 1991 at the end of the Soviet era and limiting the two sides to six thousand deployed warheads, expires next year.

A Bush-Putin agreement in Moscow in 2002 commits the two sides to deeper cuts, to no more than 2,200 warheads each, but the deal lacked specifics and compliance has lagged.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed arms issues on the sidelines of the Kennebunkport meetings. They said in the joint statement the sides are ready - upon instructions from the two presidents - to continue talks on a post-START accord "with a view toward early results."

U.S. Nuclear Non-Proliferation envoy Robert Joseph said talks on the shape of a post-START arms accord are under way but only at an early stage.