Russian Duma could ratify START by new year: RIA

Russia's lower Parliament house could ratify the New START nuclear arms reduction pact with the United States by year's end, state-run news agency RIA cited the chamber's Kremlin-allied chairman as saying on Thursday.

State Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov said the lower chamber could vote to ratify the treaty as early as Friday if the US Senate's resolution on ratification "did not affect the text of the agreement", RIA reported.