Obama Seeks Another Arms Deal with Russia

 　　U.S. President Barack Obama says there is room for another arms control deal with Russia.

　　After talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Seoul nuclear summit Monday, Obama said both countries can continue to make progress in cutting stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

　　The president called the START agreement with Russia ratified¹ in 2010 the most comprehensive arms treaty in 20 years. Obama said he plans to pursue another round of cuts with Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin.

　　In an exchange picked up on an open microphone, the U.S. leader said he would have more flexibility² to deal with the issue of missile defense³ after the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Medvedev said he understood, and would pass the message on to President-elect Putin.

　　The two leaders apparently⁴ did not intend for the remarks to be made public.  The White House later released a statement saying that since 2012 is an election year in both countries, it is not a time in which a breakthrough could be expected.

　　Differences also remain between the United States and Russia on Syria.  Despite the disagreements, President Medvedev said relations with Washington are their best in 10 years.

1 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

2 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。