Agence France Presse

Moscow, February 11

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart George W Bush today that Moscow wanted to build a closer friendship with Washington and dismissed speculation that relations had recently cooled between the two sides.

"Russia will remain a stable, reliable and predictable partner," Putin told Bush in a statement issued by the Kremlin.

"I am convinced that it is in our mutual interests to nurture the positives in our relationship," Putin said.

"I think through action, we can prove to all that the partnership between our nations is unbreakable, and that any speculation about a cooling off in Russia-United States relations is not based in reality."

Russia came under unprecedented criticism of the Bush administration following December parliamentary election in which pro-Putin factions swept to power with the help of favorable coverage on state-controlled television media.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed his concern over Russian democracy and the ongoing war in separatist Chechnya during talks with Putin in Moscow in January.

Putin, who joined the United States-led war against terrorism after the September 11 terror attacks, did not express those concerns in his letter to Bush, instead focusing on military cooperation and other ties.

"Not all of our goals have been achieved, but we should not overdramatize the situation," said Putin.