President Barack Obama is set on a proposal for Washington and Moscow to reduce their strategic nuclear warheads by a further one-third, U.S. officials said.
The president would deliver the proposal Wednesday at Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate.
During Obama's first term, Moscow and Washington, under the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, agreed to cut their nukes to 1,550 each and now the U.S. president is proposing to cut it further by one-third, which would reduce the arsenals to around 1,000 weapons each.
"The U.S. intent is to seek negotiated cuts with Russia so that we can continue to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures," said U.S. officials, according to Reuters.
Besides attending the function at the iconic gate to mark the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's stirring Cold War Speech in this once-divided city, the U.S. president will also meet with the German Chancellor Angela Markel during his one-day trip.
As times have changed, diplomats said concrete actions will matter more than bold words.
"Now Germany is not only reunified, but it is in many ways the third most important country in the world. And instead of a stirring speech, what we actually need is that Obama and Frau Merkel can talk to each other and come to common solutions," said John Kornblum, Former U.S. ambassador to Germany.
Among other issues like Syria, Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear ambitions, the German chancellor is likely to raise the U.S. secret surveillance program that was leaked by ex-CIA Edward Snowden in recent weeks.
And the data spying revelations could shadow the talks on a free trade deal between the E.U. and America, political analysts said.
"It could be that this comes, this spy scandal or leak of a spy scandal comes at a very inconvenient moment for taking such a decision," said Steven Blockmans, foreign policy analysts of Centre for European Policy Studies.
