Russian, U.S. officials see chance for better ties

By Kristin Roberts and Oleg Shchedrov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the United States expressed optimism on Monday they could improve ties, and Pentagon chief Robert Gates said a deal might be reached on a U.S. missile shield before the end of the Bush administration.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said he saw a chance to improve relations with the United States after getting what he called a "serious document" from U.S. President George W. Bush.

That document, a letter from Bush, laid out topics for discussion both in ongoing meetings and over the longer term, possibly setting the stage for an agreement on the powers' relationship that can be handed off to subsequent Russian and U.S. administrations, American officials said.

"If we manage to agree on its main provisions, we will be able to say that our dialogue is progressing successfully," said Putin, who kept Gates and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice waiting at the doorway for about five minutes before their meeting in an ornate mint-green Kremlin room.

Gates and Rice offered guardedly optimistic assessments of the meetings, saying their Russian counterparts seemed interested in the U.S. proposals and in moving forward.

Still, similar meetings in the past have yielded little progress on the big issues, and when pressed, Gates said he was cautious about the potential gain.

"There was a sincere exchange of views and I think people were actually listening to each other in terms of what was being said, which gives me some hope," he said. "But these are big issues and a lot of problems need to be solved."

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