Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has sent a new nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States to parliament for ratification.
Mr. Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama signed the treaty last month in the Czech capital, Prague.
President Obama submitted the treaty to the U.S. Senate for approval earlier this month.
Mr. Medvedev urged Russian lawmakers Friday to synchronize their ratification process with the Senate.
The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty cuts U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals by 30 percent, leaving each side with about 1,500 strategic nuclear weapons. The agreement replaces the 1991 START treaty.
Both the U.S. Senate and Russia's parliament must ratify the treaty before it can take effect.
President Obama has called the treaty "an important milestone" for nuclear security and non-proliferation.
<p><span class="article11"><i><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","";">Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.</span></i></span></p>
