John Kerry: “I agree. I understand. The Senator is correct. The Russian Duma ratified START II with the understanding that they had…”

“I agree. I understand. The Senator is correct. The Russian Duma ratified START II with the understanding that they had to have the successor states to the ABM Treaty ultimately recognized by the United States, and there are a series of bilateral agreements they want us to ratify, and because the Senator from North Carolina, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is fundamentally opposed to these changes, we are stuck. But the larger interests of the United States of America are to make the world and this country safer. We decided, as a matter of policy, I say to the Senator from Virginia, that the world will be safer if we move to reduce weapons to the levels of START II. In fact, it is the policy of the United States of America now to engage in negotiations toward START III, but no one whom I know, who is rational at least--and I absolutely include the distinguished chairman of the Armed Services Committee as among the most rational and most thoughtful people on this subject--nobody is suggesting that we would not want to reduce from the level of 6,000-plus warheads and try to move in the direction of START II. I assume the Senator agrees.”