Moscow - The UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, held talks with President Putin yesterday after voicing support for Russian opposition to US moves to build a missile shield in breach of a key non-proliferation treaty.
Mr Annan began a three-day visit to Moscow with the dispute over Washington's National Missile Defence (NMD) plans and the economic blockade of Iraq expected to dominate his talks with Russian leaders.
The UN chief arrived in Moscow only five days after the US Deputy Defence Secretary, Mr Paul Wolfowitz, failed to convince the Russian side to back Washington's anti-missile system, which is outlawed by existing non-proliferation accords.