Obama Calls Arms Treaty a Priority

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YOKOHAMA, Japan — President Obama, concerned that the friendlier relationship he is trying to forge with Russia will falter if the Senate does not ratify a new arms control treaty, told President Dmitri A. Medvedev on Sunday that getting the pact approved is his “top priority” on foreign policy for the lame-duck Congress.

The New Start treaty, as it is called, has languished in the Senate since Mr. Obama and Mr. Medvedev signed off on it in April. The results of the midterm elections, in which Republicans gained control of the House and increased their numbers in the Senate, diminish its prospects after the new Congress is sworn in. So Mr. Obama, fearing that Russia will back away from the deal if Congress does not soon approve it, is in a hurry to secure ratification now, before the current Senate leaves office.

The president, who wraps up his 10-day trip to Asia on Sunday, met with Mr. Medvedev on the sidelines of a gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders here, and he also told the Russian leader that he is committed to lifting cold war-era trade restrictions that would allow Russia to join the World Trade Organization. During a brief appearance, their public comments took on a chummy tone — in stark contrast to the exchanges Mr. Obama has had with President Hu Jintao of China at the Group of 20 conference in Seoul, South Korea, last week.

Mr. Obama bluntly accused China of undervaluing its currency and offered the customary pleasantry — “It is wonderful to see you again” — in his meeting with Mr. Hu. But he called the Russian leader “my friend Dmitri,” and he said Russia has been “an excellent partner.” Mr. Medvedev said the meeting had been “very pleasant for me.”