The United States is "optimistic" about reaching a new accord with Russia on limiting the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers, the White House said Wednesday.
Asked about the prospect of agreeing on a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters: "We're optimistic that we can get one.
"We continue to take part in negotiations with the Russians on the replacement of the START treaty," said Gibbs, adding: "We're getting closer."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow and Washington would sign a deal soon. The parties failed to reach a new pact before December 5 when the START 1 treaty lapsed.
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have stressed their commitment to overcoming differences and signing a new deal, chairman of the joint chiefs Admiral Michael Mullen said Tuesday.
At a Moscow summit in July, Medvedev and Obama agreed to reduce the number of nuclear warheads in Russian and US strategic arsenals to between 1,500 and 1,675 within seven years.
They also agreed to cut the number of ballistic missile carriers to between 500 and 1,100.
According to Russian media, the new agreement should be signed around December 18.
US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said there "are end-game issues" as the negotiations head toward a conclusion and Washington seeks provisions that ensure "effective verification" of the treaty's obligations.
"But the real core of the agreement, I think, is agreed on," Kelly told reporters. "The vast majority of the text is already agreed on, but we do have some of these final issues that we need to work out.
"I can't predict when exactly that would be and I'll discuss again the important thing is not meeting a deadline necessarily. The important thing is getting a good treaty."
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