US President Barack Obama said Wednesday he was confident a new nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia will win Senate ratification by the end of the year, dpa reported.
Obama, meeting with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, said he expected the Senate to green-light the treaty "on its own merits" before Congress breaks for holiday recess later this month.
Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, in April. Obama has listed New START as a top foreign policy priority and has repeatedly called on the Senate to ratify the agreement by the end of the year.
Obama encountered resistance from Republicans who want assurances the administration is committed to modernizing the current nuclear fleet. But more recently, some Republican senators, namely John McCain and Goerge Voinovich, signalled an interest in taking up New START this month.
Komorowski also expressed support for New START ratification. The treaty requires the United States and Russia to cut its stockpile of nuclear warheads to 1,550. The treaty would replace a 1991 version that expired in December 2009.
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