*Administration of Barack H. Obama, 2009 *

**Joint Statement Between the United States of America and Russia Regarding Negotiations on Further Reductions in Strategic Offensive Arms **

*April 1, 2009** *

The President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, and the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitriy A. Medvedev, noted that the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START Treaty), which expires in December 2009, has completely fulfilled its intended purpose and that the maximum levels for strategic offensive arms recorded in the Treaty were reached long ago. They have therefore decided to move further along the path of reducing and limiting strategic offensive arms in accordance with U.S. and Russian obligations under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

The Presidents decided to begin bilateral intergovernmental negotiations to work out a new, comprehensive, legally binding agreement on reducing and limiting strategic offensive arms to replace the START Treaty. The United States and the Russian Federation intend to conclude this agreement before the Treaty expires in December. In this connection, they instructed their delegations at the negotiations to proceed on basis of the following:

They directed their negotiators to report on progress achieved in working out the new agreement by July 2009.

NOTE: An original was not available for verification of the content of this joint statement.

*Categories:* Joint Statements : Russia, President Medvedev, negotiations on further reductions of strategic offensive arms.

*Names:* Medvedev, Dmitry A.

*Subjects:* Russia : Nuclear weapons and material, risk of proliferation; Russia : President ; Russia : Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START Treaty).

*DCPD Number:* DCPD200900209.