The lower house of the Russian Parliament today voted to approve the U.S.-Russian Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, which aims to cut both countries’ deployed nuclear arsenals by two-thirds by 2012 (see GSN, May 13).

Members of the State Duma voted 294-134 to approve the treaty’s ratification, according to Reuters. The U.S. Senate has already ratified the treaty (see GSN, March 7; Reuters/My Way, May 14).

Approval from the upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, is still required before Russia can ratify the pact, according to the Associated Press, but no problems are anticipated because the Federation Council has historically followed the Duma’s lead in approving treaties.

During a meeting yesterday with Duma leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the treaty.

“Its provisions enable us to develop our strategic forces at a level of reasonable sufficiency, in line with the country’s economic capabilities and the dynamics of the military and political situation in the world,” Putin said.

Russian Communist Party lawmakers have opposed the treaty’s ratification.  Communist lawmaker Nikolai Kolomeitsev today proposed that the Duma drop the issue, AP reported.

“This treaty is a gift to [U.S. President George W.]  Bush,” said Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov attended today’s Duma debate which was held behind closed doors to allow lawmakers to receive answers to sensitive questions related to Russia’s nuclear forces, AP reported.

In the draft ratification document, the Duma also called for more funding to maintain Russia’s nuclear arsenal on a “level that would guarantee the deterrence against any aggression” (Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, May 14).

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