FOXNews.com: Obama to Push for Nuke Reductions

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Obama to Push for Nuke Reductions Jun 19th 2013, 11:40 President Obama will renew his push for a reduction in the world's nuclear stockpiles during a foreign-policy speech in Berlin Wednesday, according to a senior administration official. Obama will propose a one-third reduction in U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear warheads, lowering the total number of warheads in each country to between 1,000 and 1,100, the official said. The potential reductions would be from a current limit of 1,550, the number set in the New START treaty that was ratified by the Senate in December 2010. "The President has determined that we can ensure our security and that of our allies and partners, and maintain a strong, credible strategic deterrent while safely pursuing up to a one-third reduction in deployed strategic nuclear warheads below the New START Treaty level," the official said in a statement. Obama is not expected to propose any timeline for achieving those cuts. He discussed nuclear non-proliferation with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting Monday on the sidelines of an international summit in Northern Ireland. The official said Obama will also renew his call for Congress to ratify a stalled nuclear test ban treaty. The official insisted on anonymity in order to preview the issue before the president's speech. Obama, fresh from a two-day summit of the Group of Eight industrial economies, will speak at the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of Germany's division and later reunification. It is a venue that German Chancellor Angela Merkel denied him in 2008, saying only sitting presidents were granted such an honor. "This is a place where U.S. presidents have gone to talk about the role of the free world essentially," said Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes. "He is seeking to summon the energy and legacy of what's been done in the past and apply it to the issues that we face today." Rhodes said Obama will make the case that even though the Berlin Wall came down 23 years ago and the threat of nuclear war has dissipated, the type of activism apparent during the Cold War needs to be applied to such current challenges as climate change, counterterrorism and the push for democratic values beyond the United States and Europe. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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