PRAGUE (AP) — President Barack Obama has begun his visit to the Czech Republic for the signing of a major arms-reduction treaty with Russia.
The president arrived in the capital city of Prague after an overnight flight from Washington. He was headed to Prague Castle to be greeted by Czech President Vaclav Klaus and hold private talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (dih-MEE’-tree med-VYEH’-dyev).
Obama and Medvedev will then sign a treaty to shrink both nations’ arsenals of strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 over seven years. That is about a third less than the 2,200 currently permitted.
It must be ratified by the Senate and Russia’s legislature.
The agreement is clear evidence of an improved U.S.-Russian relationship that had eroded in recent years.
