WASHINGTON D.C. (WTAQ) - President Obama has struck a deal on a new nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia. After talking by phone with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Obama called it the "most comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades." He stressed that it will reduce the deployable nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Russia by about one-third. It also significantly reduces missiles and launchers. The President said the deal is aimed at helping stop the spread of nuclear weapons around the world, while reducing nuclear stockpiles and keeping "vulnerable nuclear materials from terrorists."  

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, expired late last year. Obama and Medvedev will sign the new pact in Prague on April 8th. The new deal will have to be ratified by the U.S. Senate. In brief remarks at the White House, Obama said the deal is part of his broader effort to "reset" relations with Russia, which have grown increasingly troubled in the past decade. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the U.S.-Russia relationship complicated and said the new START pact is a result of "deep and substantive cooperation on a matter of vital importance." Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen said the pact will help protect the citizens of the U.S.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates also praised the deal in a White House briefing.