Russian, U.S. Leaders Urge Faster Work On START Deal

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- The presidents of Russia and the United States agreed today to urge their negotiators to speed up work and prepare for signing a new START deal to cut strategic nuclear weapons, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"The Russian side stressed the importance of completing the talks within a short term to prepare this document -- vital for strategic security and stability -- for signing as soon as possible," the Kremlin said after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's telephone conversation with U.S. leader Barack Obama.