MOSCOW (AP) – Russia’s foreign minister says Moscow welcomes President Barack Obama’s push for talks on a new nuclear arms reduction treaty and is ready for more cuts.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia is “ready to go further on the path of reductions and limitations.”

Russia is believed to have fewer warheads than the U.S. and has indicated it wants further cuts, but Lavrov’s remarks broadcast Saturday on state-run television were the clearest statement on the issue since Obama took office last month.

A spokesman for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that a replacement for the 1991 START treaty expiring in December would be put on a fast track.