According to the terms of the accord, the two parties will inform each other when they sell this type of "man-portable" missile system. But they will not have to reveal any past transactions. "It would be difficult to make the accord retroactive," said Sergei Prikhodko, the Kremlin's adviser on foreign affairs, according to Russian news agencies.

Russia recently confirmed that it was going to deliver these type of weapons to Syria, despite objections from the Israelis and the Americans.

The accord, proposed by the Russians, will be signed by the defense minister Sergei Ivanov and the American secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, Prikhodko said.

The other major topics at the summit between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President George W Bush in the Slovak capital will include Russia's membership in the World Trade Organization and cooperation in energy resources and space exploration.