The timeframe and venue for the signing...

"It is up to presidents to decide when to sign it or where," Sergei Lavrov said.

He added that if the negotiating teams follow their presidents" instructions meticulously, the deal could be finalized in late March-early April, but that did not mean the treaty would be signed immediately.

Lavrov also said the treaty would be 20 pages long, with an extensive protocol attached.

A Russian business daily reported earlier in the day that Kiev was seeking to be the venue for the signing. According to Kommersant, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych made the proposal to his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, during his visit to Moscow on March 5.

Commenting on the Ukrainian proposal, Lavrov said Russia would be "happy" to sign the pact in Kiev.

Russia and the United States have been negotiating a strategic arms reduction pact since the two countries" presidents met in April last year, but the work on the document has dragged on, with U.S. plans for

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