MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - The first Russia-U.S. talks on a new strategic arms reduction deal to replace the START treaty, which expires in December, were very productive, a deputy Russian foreign minister said Monday.

The negotiations were held on Friday in Rome.

"The meeting of experts in Rome was very productive, and we expect the continuation of these talks in the very near future," Sergei Ryabkov said.

The Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (START 1), signed in 1991, obliges Russia and the United States to reduce nuclear warheads to 6,000 and their delivery vehicles to 1,600 each. The treaty expires on December 5 this year.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in Helsinki last week that any new deal to replace START 1 must also cover delivery systems.

Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed at their first meeting in London earlier this month on an immediate start to talks on a new strategic arms reduction treaty.