Global Security Newswire

French President Francois Hollande on Thursday said his government does not intend to join potential U.S-Russian nuclear arms reduction negotiations, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Obama administration has made clear its hopes for talks with Moscow on cutting their respective nuclear arsenals beyond the cap set by the New START treaty of 1,550 strategic warheads and 700 delivery vehicles. Recent reports have indicated the White House is prepared to sign off on a Defense Department document that says the United States can maintain a viable deterrent while deploying 1,000 to 1,100 long-range warheads.

France in 2008 declared its intention to cut its nuclear holdings to below 300 warheads that can be fielded by air and sea. The nation is a longtime believer in nuclear drawdowns but must chart its own course, Hollande told Ekho Moskvy radio.

"We have certain obligations within NATO, including nuclear containment," he said. "We must provide independence of our territory, its security."