George Bush To Tell Vladimir Putin Of Reduction Of US Nuclear Arsenal

US president George Bush stated that he had taken a decision on the size of reduction of the American nuclear arsenal and that this decision would not be made public until he informed president of Russia Vladimir Putin of it. Bush stated this on Wednesday at a White House meeting with journalists together with Prime-Minister of Great Britain Tony Blair. As he said, the USA will unilaterally reduce its nuclear arsenal, which he promised back during his election campaign, and the arsenal will be reduced to a much lower level than it was envisaged by the previous agreements on arms control. Bush also stressed that, for the USA to considerably cut its arsenal, there is a need in a new arms control agreement. The US president also stated that his stand on the Russian-US ABM Treaty of 1972 had not changed and that, in his view, this document was out-dated. At the same time, George Bush noted that if Vladimir Putin had "interesting proposals" on possible preservation of the Treaty he was "more than ready" to listen to the head of the Russian state.