BERLIN: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday called on Russia to agree strategic nuclear weapons cuts of up to a third and to also rein in strategic atomic arms.
In a keynote speech in Berlin, Obama also said he would lead two new Nuclear Security summits in his second term.
"These are steps we can take to create a world of peace with justice," Obama said, addressing thousands at the city's iconic Brandenburg Gate.
Under the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty negotiated with Moscow during Obama's first term, the two former Cold War foes cut strategic nuclear weapons stocks to the 1,550 level.
A one-third cut in the arsenals would take them to the 1,000 weapons mark.
Russia has previously resisted cuts to the number of tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Europe, and President Vladimir Putin said ahead of Obama's speech that Russia will not allow an imbalance in strategic nuclear deterrence.
"We cannot allow the balance of the system of strategic deterrence to be disturbed or the effectiveness of our nuclear force to be decreased," Putin was quoted by Russian agencies as saying.
A top Kremlin aide also said Russia wanted other states to commit to nuclear cuts.
Obama has made cutting nuclear weapons stocks a centrepiece of his political legacy and is in theory committed to eradicating them all together.
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