Russia and the United States will finalize a strategic arms reduction pact within days, a Foreign Ministry official said on Monday.
"We are literally on the verge - I think the business will be done within a few days," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
He added, however, that it was too soon to say where the pact would be signed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday the negotiators "have entered the home stretch." He said, however, that did not mean the treaty would be signed immediately.
Lavrov said the treaty would be 20 pages long, with an extensive protocol attached.
Russia and the United States have been negotiating a strategic arms reduction pact since the two countries' presidents met in April last year, but the work on the document has dragged on, with U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe a particular sticking point.
Moscow wants to include a link between missile defenses and cuts in offensive weapons, but the U.S. Senate is unlikely to ratify any document formally linking the two issues.
START 1, the cornerstone of a post-Cold War arms control setup, expired on December 5 2009.
MOSCOW, March 22 (RIA Novosti)
