The lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, may ratify the Russian-U.S. new strategic arms reduction treaty (START) by the end of 2010, if it is approved by U.S. Senate soon, a Russian deputy said on Wednesday.
The Senate is due to hold a final vote on the arms pact on Wednesday.
"If the Senate ratifies the deal, our committee may hold an unscheduled meeting to discuss the document," First Deputy of Russia's International Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky said.
"The new years celebrations will be more pleasant if the treaty is ratified," he added.
The treaty, which restricts both nations to a maximum of 1,550 nuclear warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200, was signed by Russian and U.S. presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama in April.
The agreement will come into force after ratification by both houses of the Russian parliament and the U.S. Senate. Medvedev has made it clear that Russia will not ratify the treaty until the pact is finally approved by the U.S. Senate.
The deal is an important part of the efforts to "reset" relations between Russia and the United States. However, many Republicans still maintain that it could stand in the way of the modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
MOSCOW, December 22 (RIA Novosti)
