The US and Russia are close to a bilateral trade agreement that would remove a big hurdle to Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organisation, but Tuesday’s self-imposed deadline will not be met, US trade officials said on Monday.

“Both sides believe we are close, and we fully expect to continue our close co-operation to reach an agreement,” the US trade representative’s office said. However, Russian media reports did not indicate the two sides were on the threshold of an agreement.