In what seems like breakneck speed, the Russian DUMA had three readings of the New START Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation and sent the treaty to the Federation Council (upper house of the Russian Parliament) where it was approved unanimously a little over a month after the United States Senate ratified the treaty on December 22, 2010. The next step towards entry into force of New START is the exchange of "instruments of ratification" which is usually done without fanfare. While they could not win the debate over US ratification of New START, U.S. opponents of the treaty have begun attempts to impede progress by the Obama administration on New START and his nuclear non-proliferation agenda.
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