MOSCOW- The United Stated and Russia are close to reaching an accord to cut their arsenals of nuclear warheads by two-thirds or more, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday on the eve of talks with Russian President Valdimir Putin.

The deal is "just about done," Powell said.

The secretary of state and other senior U.S. officials said that to complete it, the United Sates is ready to meet Putin's concerns that the cuts be put in writing and verified through anti-cheating measures that have been used in the past.

At their summit in Washington and Crawford, Texas, last month, Bush and Putin agreed in principle to reduce the number of warheads deployed on land-based missiles, bomber aircraft and nuclear-armed submarines well below the 6,000 permitted by the 1991 START, or strategic arms reduction treaty. Bush said he would cut the U.S. arsenal to between 1,700 and 2,200 warheads.

Powell said the Bush administration is waiting to hear from Putin about how many nuclear weapons he intends to keep.