(CBS/AP) - President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev struck a preliminary deal Monday to reduce their nations' stockpiles of nuclear warheads to as few as 1,500 each, aiming toward the lowest levels of any U.S.-Russia arms control agreement.
The document signed by the two leaders at a Moscow summit, Mr. Obama's first in Russia, is meant to guide negotiators as the nations work toward a replacement pact for the START arms control agreement, which expires in December.
The joint understanding, signed after about three hours of talks at the Kremlin, also commits the new treaty to lower each nation's longer-range missiles for delivering nuclear bombs to between 500 and 1,100.
Under current treaties, each country is allowed a maximum of 2,200 warheads and 1,600 launch vehicles.
A White House statement said the new treaty "will include effective verification measures."
"The new agreement will enhance the security of both the U.S. and Russia, as well as provide predictability and stability in strategic offensive forces," the statement said.
The two leaders also reiterated their commitment to stop nuclear proliferation and prevent nuclear terrorism.
"We declare an intent to broaden and deepen long-term cooperation to further increase the level of security of nuclear facilities around the world, including through minimization of the use of highly-enriched uranium in civilian applications and through consolidation and conversion of nuclear materials," a joint statement from the two leaders said.
The two leaders then appeared together at a Kremlin news conference to discuss the agreement.
Mr. Obama said that the summit showed they are "resolved to reset" U.S.-Russian relations.
The leaders also announced several other deals meant to show progress toward resetting badly damaged U.S.-Russian relations. Those included Moscow allowing the United States to transport arms across its land and airspace into Afghanistan for the war there. The White House says the deal will save the U.S. $133 million a year, by waiving transit fees and shortening flying time.
They outlined other ways to work together to help stabilize Afghanistan, including increasing assistance to the Afghan army and police and training counternarcotics personnel. A joint statement said the United States and Russia welcomed increased international support for upcoming Afghan elections and they were prepared to help Afghanistan and Pakistan work together against the "common threats of terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking."
Other side agreements include reviving a joint commission to try to account for missing service members of both countries dating back to World War II and new cooperation on public health issues.
The commission was first created by the first President Bush and President Boris Yeltsin in the early 1990s, but the Russians later downgraded their participation. The U.S. hope Russia will open some of its more sensitive archives to U.S. researchers seeking details about missing American servicemen.
Mr. Obama needs Russia's help chiefly in pressuring Iran and North Korea to give up their nuclear weapons ambitions, but also in tackling terrorism, global warming and the economy. But with relations frayed with Moscow's war with Georgia last year and U.S. missile defense plans in eastern Europe, Mr. Obama's desire to reset relations is a huge test of his diplomatic skills.
Earlier, Mr. Obama opened his first Moscow summit with confidence, predicting "extraordinary progress" out of meetings set to test his diplomatic skills on important priorities such as nuclear arsenal reductions and the fight in Afghanistan.
"The United States and Russia have more in common than they have differences," Mr. Obama said he sat down in an ornate Kremlin room with Medvedev. "If we work hard in these next few days ... we can make extraordinary progress that will benefit the people of both countries."
With both men eager to reset damaged relations, Mr. Obama's host launched the high-stakes summit with similar good will.
"We'll have a full-fledged discussion of our relations between our two countries, closing some of the pages of the past and opening some of the pages of the future," Medvedev said, through a translator. "It is my hope that it will be possible to tackle successfully" a range of problems from the economy to security and energy and the environment.
The first U.S.-Russia summit since the early part of the George W. Bush presidency presents a challenge for Mr. Obama, with Russia home to a wary public, a two-headed leadership and lingering hard feelings. What much of the world will watch are signs of Mr. Obama's relationship with Russia's two leaders, Medvedev and his mentor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Also on the agenda: Iran's nuclear ambitions, U.S. support for neighboring Georgia and NATO expansion to Russia's borders.
Above all - Russia wants to reclaim its status as a superpower.
"The world has changed dramatically and it's trying to find those ways where it can be that super power," analyst Heather Conley told CBS News.
The summit starts a weeklong trip for Mr. Obama that also features G-8 meetings and a visit with the pope in Italy, and a speech in Ghana.
Mr. Obama's mission in Moscow is two-pronged, divided over two days. Building ties and inking security and cultural deals with the leadership comes first. He will also devote a prominent amount of time to leaders of Russia's civil society to help those relationships, too.
There is plenty of room for improvement. Mr. Obama, who has enjoyed adoring crowds in travels across Europe so far, will face a skeptical Russian population, polling out Sunday shows.
Only 23 percent of Russians have confidence in Mr. Obama to do the right thing in international affairs, according to the University of Maryland's WorldPublicOpinion.org. Just 15 percent of the Russians polled said the U.S. is playing a positive role in the world; most said the United States abuses it power and makes Russia do what the U.S. wants.
"I would like there to be real change, not just talk," said Valentina Titova, a 60-year-old retired economist strolling not far from the Kremlin. "I would like to see American meddle less in other countries. They think they're so superior to others, they put themselves on a pedestal."
Aiming to change attitudes, Mr. Obama will outline his vision for U.S.-Russian relations at a speech at the New Economic School. It is unclear how many people will see it. Russian leaders control the television outlets.
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