Russia 'needs at least 1,500 nuke warheads'

MOSCOW: Russia should limit cuts to its strategic nuclear arsenal to a few hundred warheads in talks with the United States on a new arms control treaty, a top Moscow military chief was quoted as saying yesterday.

Russia must instead keep at least 1,500 nuclear warheads to ensure its security, Interfax news agency quoted the commander of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces Colonel-General Nikolai Solovtsov as saying.

The United States and Russia hope to announce progress on a new arms control treaty when President Barack Obama makes his inaugural visit to Russia from July 6-8.