MOSCOW. Dec 24 (Interfax) - The U.S. Senate has demanded that U.S. President Barack Obama guarantee the further development of missile defense systems as a condition of the enforcement of the new Russian-U.S. Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
"Prior to the entry into force of the New START, the President shall certify to the Senate, and at the time of the exchange of instruments of ratification shall communicate to the Russian Federation, that it is the policy of the United States to continue development and deployment of United States missile defense systems to defend against missile threats from nations such as North Korea and Iran," the Senate resolution giving consent to the ratification of the treaty says.
The text of the resolution was circulated among Russian parliament members on Friday.