Russia and the United States have begun a first round of talks on replacing the Cold War-era nuclear treaty, giving disarmament efforts a new momentum.

The so-called START or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is due to expire in December. Preliminary discussions have already been held in the past weeks and it is hoped that concrete agreements can be made during the two-day negotiations in Moscow.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is participating in a Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, reacted positively to the dialogue between Moscow and Washington. He reiterated that the result of the talks could have far-reaching effects for global security and a knock-on effect on international nuclear disarmament efforts.