START approval seen as victory for Obama

It is being described as a major foreign policy victory for Barack Obama.

After months of wrangling the US Senate has approved a new START nuclear arms treaty with Russia.

Some Republican Senators sided with the Democrats to end a fierce debate and move towards a final vote.

The US President said: “This is the most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades. It will make us safer and reduce our nuclear arsenals along with Russia … and this treaty will enhance our leadership to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek the peace of a world without them.”

Ever since the Russian and US leaders signed the treaty in principle back in April, the US Senate had been reluctant to approve it.

Since the original START treaty in 1991 each country has reduced their nuclear capacity.

But the new agreement now seeks to go further: cutting missile numbers by half and warheads by more than 75 per cent over the next seven years.

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