US agrees nuclear treaty with Russia

The American and Russian presidents, Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, have agreed a treaty to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

After finalising the deal in a telephone conversation, President Obama said other countries should now meet their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

President Obama will meet President Medvedev to sign the deal in Prague next month.

Under the treaty, both Russia and the US will cut their strategic nuclear warheads by nearly a third.

They will also reduce the number of missiles that carry the warheads.

The agreement replaces the START treaty of 1991, which expired in December.

The BBC's Richard Lister from Washington and Richard Galpin from Moscow told Newshour's Julian Marshall details of the new treaty.

First Richard Lister talked about Washington's committment.

First broadcast 26 March 2010