Moscow - Russia praised Thursday the "constructive atmosphere" in nuclear disarmament talks with the United States. The progress achieved meant there could be a successor agreement in place when the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) expires on December 5, foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said.
The official told Interfax news agency the only major differences were about the number of warheads deployed by the two sides.
Media reports said both envisaged a reduction to a maximum of 1,100 warheads each, but experts believe Russia wants deeper cuts than the number proposed by the United States.
Nesterenko said each further meeting would see both sides narrow their differences and "do everything possible to reach a positive conclusion."
At the same time a successor to START would only become valid when both sides had put their signatures to the document, he said.
Russian reports said US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev planned to discuss the treaty at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore mid-November.
