Russia and the United States have made progress in their nuclear disarmament talks, top US military officer Admiral Mike Mullen said on Saturday, adding that he was "encouraged."

"It's really up to the two presidents to make the final decision and to sign it. But I am encouraged by the progress that I am aware of from the negotiations viewpoint," Mullen said on cable channel Russia Today.

Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Moscow also to discuss US plans to extend missile defence capabilities into Poland and the Czech Republic — a proposal that is fiercely opposed by Russia.

"There is a review going on in the US right now under the auspice of President Obama's new administration. So there's no final decision which has been made…. Certainly we recognise the sensitivity of the issue," he said.

US and Russian negotiators are in talks to renew the Cold War-era START nuclear arms control treaty, which was agreed between Moscow and Washington in the dying days of the Soviet Union in 1991 and runs out in December.

Russian officials say there could be a deal on reducing nuclear arsenals by the time US President Barack Obama visits Moscow on July 6-8 but have hinted this may come about only if the US adapts or drops its missile defence plans.

earlier related report

NATO hopes to relaunch military cooperation with Russia: US

NATO nations hope to restart military cooperation with Russia in piracy operations, counter-terrorism and on supply routes into Afghanistan in talks Saturday, a senior US official said.

"There is a possibility that we will agree on the resumption of military to military cooperation, focused particularly on areas of common interest like counter-piracy, Afghanistan and counter-terrorism," the official said.

His remarks came ahead of a meeting of NATO and Russian foreign ministers on the Greek island of Corfu, which will mark a formal resumption of official ties that were suspended over the war in Georgia.

"Afghanistan is a key part of that," said the official, as NATO nations negotiate with Moscow ways to transport goods over Russian territory to troops in Afghanistan, where the alliance is battling a Taliban-led insurgency.

He said NATO also hoped to involve Moscow in talks on a new piracy mission — Operation Ocean Shield — in the Gulf of Aden, where Russia has had vessels and could be ready to send more.

"This is the kind of operation where we would welcome discussions with Russia," he said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the military alliance hoped the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — to last two hours — would mark the start of a reform of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC).

He said the ministers would study an action plan for moving ahead with the council, where the 28 NATO allies and Russia discuss cooperation — and also air their many differences — which has not realised its potential.

"It's a Ferrari, when you think about it, it can do anything. In practice it has not always moved as quickly as it could," he said.

"We realise that going from zero to 60 is going to take more time than it does when you drive a Ferrari. It's more going to be like a Fiat 500. But that's better than going backwards. At least we're going down that road."

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