Reaching out to improve relations with the United States, Russia's lower house of parliament yesterday voted to ratify the latest US-Russian nuclear arms control treaty that slashes the nuclear arsenals of both countries by two-thirds.

　　After considering the treaty in closed-door debate, the Duma, the lower house of parliament, voted 294 in favor of the treaty while 134 voted against it. The US Senate already has approved the accord, formally called the Moscow Treaty. Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, must still approve the treaty insgroupsfor the ratification to take effect, but that vote is expected to be a formality.

　　The Duma's ratification vote came the same day that US Secretary of State Colin Powell was holding talks with Foreign Minister Ivanov aimed at paving the way for a smooth summit between President Vladimir Putin and US President George W. Bush scheduled in several weeks.

　　The Duma had dragged its feet on ratification of the treaty because of the US-led war in Iraq, which Russia opposed.

　　Putin used a meeting on Tuesday with Duma leaders to urge lawmakers to ratify the treaty, calling it an "important document in the sphere of strategic stability."

　　The Moscow Treaty calls on Russia and the United States to cut their strategic nuclear arsenals by about two-thirds, to 1,700 to 2,200 warheads, by 2012.