MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Russia's State Duma Friday adopted amendments to the nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States, officials said.
The vote by 341 members was unanimous, ITAR-Tass reported.
The amendments spell out grounds for Russia's withdrawal from New START, including violations by the United States, unilateral deployment of missile defense systems that endanger Russia and the adoption of strategic non-nuclear weapon systems by the United States without approval by a bilateral commission, RIA Novosti reported.
The treaty, replacing the START 1 that expired in December 2009, was signed in Prague last April by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama. It was ratified by the U.S. Senate Dec. 22.
The document cuts the two countries' arsenals to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads from the current ceiling of 2,200.
A Duma vote to approve the bill on the second of three readings was expected later Friday.
The Duma is the lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly. The upper house, the Federation Council, could hold its ratification vote as soon as it returns to work Jan. 26. The Duma is expected to approve the treaty on the third and final reading around the same time.
