Russia sees U.S. arms pact in March-April: report

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The presidents of Russia and the United States could sign a nuclear arms reduction treaty in March or April, the Interfax news agency quoted Russia's Security Council chief as saying on Tuesday.

The remarks by the hawkish Nikolai Patrushev were the latest indication that tough talks on a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) could produce a pact soon.

Negotiations that resumed in Geneva on Monday "are approaching their logical conclusion," Interfax quoted Patrushev as saying in New Delhi, adding the treaty "could be signed in March-April of this year."

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev spoke last week and pledged to complete the treaty. They had hoped for a pact by December 5, when START expired.

Forging a new pact is seen as crucial to improving relations between Russia and the United States. The nations with 95 percent of the world's nuclear weapons also want to set an example for other nations by cutting their arsenals.

The pact must be ratified by lawmakers in both countries to take effect.

(Writing by Steve Gutterman; editing by Janet Lawrence)