UNITED STATES:THE BUSH administration is seeking to persuade Russian president Vladimir Putin to sign up to a long-term agreement on Moscow-Washington relations, arguing that it will be harder for Russia to agree such a deal with the next occupant of the White House.
US officials argue that John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - all of whom have criticised Russia strongly in their campaigns for the US presidency - could be more uncomfortable negotiating partners for Moscow than president George W Bush.
Mr Bush made his appeal to Mr Putin in a letter delivered by Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates, the US secretaries of state and defence, in a trip to Moscow last week.
The two presidents may also discuss the issue in person: US officials say Mr Putin has indicated he would like to hold one more summit with Mr Bush before stepping down as president in May.
"It's important to assure continuity in Russia-US relations, especially in the period when we see the constitutional transfer of power," said Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, after the meetings last week.
The US proposal is intended to provide a framework for various areas of US-Russian co-operation after several years in which the relationship between the two countries has become strained. The most controversial element concerns US plans for missile defence.
Although the US has sought to reassure Moscow that its missile defence programme will not diminish Russia's nuclear capacity, Russia has repeatedly underlined its opposition to Washington's plans for missile defence bases in Poland and the Czech Republic.
US officials add that negotiations with the two central European countries are nearing conclusion after recent visits by the Czech and Polish prime ministers to Washington.
But Russia's objections remain strong. US officials have worried that the controversy over missile defence, together with Russian opposition to proposals to bring Ukraine and Georgia closer to Nato membership, could spell problems for a Nato summit next week in Bucharest, part of which Mr Putin is scheduled to attend.
During Mr Gates and Dr Rice's visit to Moscow last week, the US provided Russia with a six-page memorandum of understanding, featuring a statement of common values, including democracy and a reference to a partnership between Russia, Nato and the US.
They also submitted a more detailed "confidence-building document" on missile defence, with ideas such as reciprocal accredited military officers at the various facilities, including Russians at sites in the US and at those in the Czech Republic and Poland.
In response to Russian suspicions that the US would increase the number of missile interceptors at the Polish site, the US offered to consult Moscow over any future increase.
Russian officials admit that the US missile defence concessions have gone some way towards assuaging Moscow's concerns, but one senior politician familiar with Kremlin thinking said they were not yet enough.
- (Financial Times service)