Oleg Shchedrov

US President Barack Obama and Kremlin leader Dmitry Medvedev agreed a target for cuts in nuclear arms and a deal to let US troops fly across Russia.

Russia and Ukraine signed a 10-year gas supply deal on Monday to clear the way for the resumption of supplies to a freezing Europe.

Russia will stop developing some strategic weapons if the US drops plans for a missile shield in Europe, it was reported on Friday.

Russia approved on Monday a resolution recognising the independence of two rebel regions of Georgia, a move likely to worsen relations with the West.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday promised a ''crushing response'' to any attack on its citizens.

Vladimir Putin on Thursday took over as Russia's Prime Minister a day after leaving the Kremlin and pledged to curb inflation and cut taxes to make Russia a leading economic power. Putin said in a speech to Parliament presenting his candidacy that he wanted ''single-digit inflation within a few years.

Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as President in a solemn ceremony in the Kremlin's throne room on Wednesday, ushering in an unprecedented period of dual rule with his predecessor Vladimir Putin, who becomes Prime Minister. Medvedev placed his hand on a red, leather-bound copy of the Russian Constitution to take the oath of office before 2 000 invited guests.

United States President George Bush and Russia's Vladimir Putin will have one last chance on Sunday to try to mend frayed relations face-to-face but with little hope of resolving the biggest dispute that divides them. In a farewell summit the two leaders -- both in the twilight of their terms -- will use their personal chemistry to try to bridge differences.

The fate of bids by ex-Soviet Ukraine and Georgia to join Nato will show if the Western alliance is serious about cooperating with Russia or bent on going it alone, a Kremlin spokesperson said on Friday. Dmitry Peskov said that despite its longstanding status as a partner of Nato, Moscow was still at a loss about the alliance's plans.

President Vladimir Putin accused Washington on Monday of plotting to undermine December parliamentary elections seen widely as a demonstration of his enduring power in Russia. Putin, drawing on resurgent nationalist sentiment ahead of Sunday's poll, also said Russia must maintain its defences to discourage others from ''poking their snotty noses'' in its affairs.

President Vladimir Putin made clear to Washington on Tuesday that Russia would not accept military action against Iran and he invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Moscow for talks. Putin made the invitation to Ahmadinejad, shunned by the West which fears his nuclear programme is a cover for building atomic weapons, after meeting him and leaders of other Caspian Sea states.

If United States President George Bush hopes fresh lobster and scenic boat rides will sway Russia's Vladimir Putin, he'll find out on Monday when they try to mend relations now at a post-Cold War low. The leaders will hold talks at the end of Putin's overnight visit to the Bush family's New England estate in a bid to find common ground on thorny issues.