Russian and U.S. negotiators are due to resume talks today in Geneva, Switzerland, on a treaty to replace the START agreement on reducing the nuclear arsenals of the two countries.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said last week that the two governments are "close to agreement" on nearly all issues and that the "final part" of negotiations has been entered on a follow-up to START, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty agreed between Washington and the Soviet Union in 1991.
The treaty expired last December without a replacement agreed.
The Russian and U.S. presidents last year said they had agreed that the new treaty must cut deployed warheads by both countries to between 1,500 and 1,675 each.
One problem in the negotiations has been reported to be Russian concerns over U.S. plans to install a defensive antimissile shield in Europe.
compiled from agency reports