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Putin Notes Significant Progress in Genoa Negotiations with Bush
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that considerable progress was achieved in strategic stability issues during his meeting with US President George W. Bush in Genoa, Italy, though "no basic breakthrough" was made.
"Although there has been no basic breakthrough, we have confirmed our adherence to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty" and expressed a common desire to push forward the reduction of strategic offensive arms, Putin said at a cabinet meeting while commenting on his negotiations with Bush on Sunday on the sidelines of the G8 summit.
He said both sides also agreed to discuss offense and defense as a package, adding that such an approach "appears to be the right one to us."
He noted that U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice would come to Russia on Tuesday to begin discussing "those positive things" based on the Russian-U.S. summit.
Putin said the leaders of the G8 countries were ready to back Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) "on conditions acceptable to us."
"One should be very careful so that the entry to the WTO is to Russia's benefit, not to its detriment," he said.
Putin stressed that the discussion on economic issues would be of great importance to Russia.
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