The United States and Russia yesterday agreed to make large cuts in their nuclear arsenals.

Speaking after a first session of talks with president Putin at the White House, president Bush claimed it was "a new day in the long history of Russian/American relations."

Under the agreement, the United States will, over the next decade, work to cut its stockpile of nuclear warheads from about 6500 to between 1700 and 2200.

Putin said that Russia would cut its supply by two thirds, mirroring the US plan.