Russia and the United States are likely to sign new arms control deal in Europe in April, Russian news agencies reported on Friday, citing deputy head of the Russian government office, Xinhua reported.
"Most probably, the treaty will be signed in April. The signing ceremony will not take place in Washington DC. The most probable location is Europe," Yuri Ushakov said after talks between Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Clinton, who is on a two-day visit to Moscow, said earlier Friday that the United States and Russia were "on the brink" of signing a new deal.
After meeting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday, Clinton said the two countries had resolved all major issues concerning a new nuclear arms reduction treaty.
"There are some technical issues that remain. But we are on the brink of signing a new agreement between the United States and Russia," she said at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
But Clinton did not specify a date or venue for the signing of the pact.
Russia and the United States have been working on a new arms treaty since Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Obama met in April last year, in an effort to "reset" their ties plunged to an unprecedented low during the final days of former U.S. Bush administration.
Despite rounds of negotiations, the two sides failed to reach a pact before the original 1991 START expired in December last year.
An outline of the new treaty, agreed by both presidents, includes slashing nuclear warheads to 1,500-1,675 and delivery vehicles to 500-1,000.