US, Russia close to reaching arms deal

Russia says Moscow and Washington will sign a new nuclear arms deal shortly, to replace the expired Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. But signs from the US are showing limited optimism.

The Russian foreign minister sounded upbeat in Moscow when asked about the prospects for securing a successor deal to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, which expired last week.

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, said, "The question is easy. The treaty will be signed soon."

Lavrov didn't elaborate, when asked if the agreement could be signed by US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitiry Medvedev on the sidelines of the climate summit in Copenhagen.

The previous treaty obliged each country to cut nuclear warheads by at least a quarter, to about six thousand and included detailed verification procedures.

Obama and Medvedev both agreed at a summit in July to cut their nuclear warhead stockpiles to between 1,500 and 1,650, within seven years, as part of a new treaty.

According to the White House, both sides are still negotiating on a replacement for the START treaty. Despite progress, some issues remain to be worked out that are hampering an eventual deal.