Russians warm to U.S., poll shows before Obama visit

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russians have warmed markedly to the United States under Barack Obama, but still think official ties are poor, a poll showed three days before the U.S. president visits on Monday.

Obama hopes his talks in Moscow during his three-day visit will help mend ties between the two largest nuclear powers that turned frosty under his predecessor George W. Bush.

The young and charismatic U.S. leader appears to have already changed Russians' attitudes to his country since his election in November, the survey by Russian pollster VTsIOM indicated.

Forty three percent of Russians viewed the United States "well or mainly well," up from 22 percent in September. Those with a negative attitude of the country fell to 25 percent from 40 percent.

However, few Russians believe their nation's official relations with Washington have warmed.

Only 5 percent would call them friendly, according to the poll of 1,600 people conducted in 140 locations in 42 regions in late June.

Nine percent think relations are good, 26 percent describe them as chilly, 13 percent said tense, while the number of those deeming ties "normal and calm" was 37 percent.

The percentages related to official relations were little changed from the same survey a year ago, when Bush was in power.

Despite the improvement in attitudes to the United States, positive views remain far below the peak in November 1991 when 83 percent of Russians said they viewed their recent Cold War arch foe sympathetically.

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; editing by Richard Meares)