Obama lobbies for Russian nukes treaty

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama lobbied senators to ratify a nuclear arms treaty with Russia, as his spokesman expressed confidence the accord would be approved this week and Russia warned against making changes.

During debate over the weekend, the Senate defeated two Republican-sponsored amendments that would have required reopening negotiations between the United States and Russia. A ratification vote on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New Start, is one of the Senate's last major pieces of business before adjournment.

"The White House believes that before Congress leaves town, that the Senate will ratify the New Start treaty," press secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday. "The president and the vice president continue to communicate with senators."

With some top Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, expressing opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his government won't agree to modifying the accord.

"The strategic nuclear arms treaty, worked out on the fundamentals of strict parity, in our view fully answers to the national interests of Russia and the U.S.," Lavrov said, according to Interfax news agency. "It cannot be opened up and become the subject of new negotiations."

Gibbs said calls by President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were made to senators since the weekend to press for ratification.

He refused to say whether the administration had won commitments from any Republicans to vote for the treaty, which requires a two-thirds majority to win ratification. He said opposition from McConnell wasn't a surprise and didn't alter the administration's calculations of support.

He joined with other treaty backers in expressing confidence the treaty would be approved.

Several Republicans said Monday they would support ratification.

Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee said his position hasn't changed since he voted in favor of the treaty in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"I'm in the same place I was the day I passed it out of committee," Corker told reporters at the Capitol after a classified briefing for senators related to the treaty. "Something could change, but I don't know what that would be."

Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown said he would support ratification, and Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran said he was leaning in favor of approval.

Obama has made ratification of the treaty his top foreign policy priority during the postelection lame-duck session.