US-Russia nuclear pact signing to take place at Prague Castle at noon on Thursday

US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev will sign a treaty reducing their countries’ nuclear arsenals at Prague Castle at noon on Thursday, the Czech News Agency reported. Other details of the summit have also been revealed. After the signing at the castle’s Spanish Hall, the two leaders will be the guests of Czech President Václav Klaus at a ceremonial lunch. On Thursday evening Mr Obama will attend a dinner at the residence of the US ambassador to Prague with 11 heads of state and government from the central and eastern European region. Before he leaves Prague on Friday morning, the US president is also expected to hold talks with Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer and President Klaus.

The new pact builds on the 1991 START treaty and restricts both the US and Russia to about 30 percent fewer nuclear warheads than they currently possess. Thursday’s signing comes almost exactly a year after President Obama outlined his policies on nuclear weapons in a speech in front of thousands of people at Prague Castle.