President George W Bush said he would honor a campaign pledge to reduce the US nuclear weapons arsenal unilaterally, suggesting it could affect the course of arms control relations with Russia.
"I think it's important for us, commensurate with our ability to keep the peace, to reduce our nuclear arsenal on our own, and I'm going to fulfill that campaign promise," Mr Bush said.
"We'll see how that affects possible arms talks."
The President had been asked at a press conference whether he planned to review US relations with Russia before proceeding with arms control talks. In his answer, Mr Bush also noted he has vowed to deploy a National Missile Defense system, which Russia and China strongly oppose.
"I want America to lead the world toward a more safe world when it comes to nuclear weaponry. On the offensive side we can do so and we can do so on the defensive side as well," he said.
Reuters
