A re-START to nuclear arms reductions

The Russian and US Presidents, Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama, met in London on 1 April 2009, ahead of the G20 meeting on the global financial crisis. Central to their discussions was the resumption of bilateral talks aimed at reducing their respective nuclear weapon arsenals. The agreement to negotiate a successor treaty to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was undoubtedly the most tangible outcome of the London meeting. In a second statement both leaders also embraced the ultimate goal of comprehensive nuclear disarmament.