US, Russian leaders say nations closer to deal to cut nuclear arms

Singapore (CNN) - Russia and the United States are well on their way to reduce their nuclear inventories, President Obama and the Russian president Dmitri Medvedev said Sun
Ideological boundaries no longer stand between the two countries, said Medvedev, who met with Obama after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit wrapped up Sunday in Singapore. They had both attended the forum.
Russia and the United States of America hopes for a treaty to complete nuclear weapons by the year's end to reduce, according to both presidents.
"The world is watching," Medvedev said.
The two sides are working to re-negotiate an extension to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, ie December 5.
Both men agreed on an eventual goal of a nuclear-free world. Nobody realistically think it will happen any time soon, but the reduction in the number of nuclear warheads from the levels allowed in the original START agreement is a step in that direction.
Conversations between the two leaders in Singapore focused on the future of the START treaty, Iran and Afghanistan, although a number of topics covered, she said.
The leaders talked about what should be done to Afghanistan long-needed peace, Medvedev said.
On Iran, Obama has spoken of presentation of two paths: one that leads to integration into the international community, and the one that leads to stepped-up global pressure.
Iran faces a UN Security Council demand that it stop uranium enrichment program, insists it has a right to produce fuel for civilian power plants.
From the U.S. and other leading nations have been negotiating with Iran to send low-enriched uranium from abroad to be in the material for use in medical research and treatment at a reactor in Tehran.
The deal could reduce the amount of material Iran has a nuclear bomb. The United States and its allies fear Tehran's goal is to create a bomb. Iran denies it.
"We are now losing time," Obama said, adding that Iran and the United States and Russia will continue to nudge Tehran toward the "right" way. Leading nations are ready to continue working, but other options remain on the table if such efforts fail, Obama said, without providing details.
Medvedev has also spoken of that unhappy with the pace of negotiations with Iran and cooperating with the United States.
The Obama administration has worked to strengthen such cooperation. Ties between Russia and the united states chilled during the governments of George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin.
"We want to restore our relationship, and so we will do it together," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei LAVROV March in Geneva, Switzerland.
Medvedev in talks with Singapore was a fool, said Obama, who added that he thought that "the reset button worked."