The 1991 START I nuclear missile treaty is set to expire at midnight tonight, with no successor in place.
Russia has issued what it is calling a joint statement with the Obama administration, committing, “as a matter of principle,” to the framework of START until a new treaty can be finalized.
Under a statement of “understanding” signed by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in July, a new START treaty would cut deployed nuclear warheads to below 1,700 on each side within seven years.
U PDATE: Major Garrett tweets that Robert Gibbs has confirmed the substance of the Russian statement, and the White House will issue its own shortly.