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The two Presidents entered the library in the ancient Bratislava Castle, greeted each other in front of the television cameras and then began face-to-face discussions of current issues.

Following their discussion, Mr Putin and Mr Bush were joined by the members of their delegations. Taking part in the talks on the Russian side were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, Secretary of the Security Council Igor Ivanov, Chief of the Presidential Executive Office Dmitry Medvedev and Presidential Aide Sergei Prikhodko. The U.S. side was represented, in particular, by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. National Security Advisor Steven Hadley.

Security issues and cooperation in this area, strengthening the legal foundation for work together, military cooperation between Russia and NATO and cooperation in emergency situations were the principal subjects discussed during the talks.

Also on the agenda were questions regarding the state of and prospects for bilateral cooperation in disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear- and other weapons of mass destruction, and the situation in North Korea, Iran and Pakistan.

The two Presidents likewise discussed the fight against terrorism and the objectives for Russian-U.S. cooperation in this area, in particular, the situation in Afghanistan and cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, which is a priority for Russia.

Concerning trade and economic relations, Mr Putin and Mr Bush discussed issues regarding Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation and cooperation in space and in the energy and high technology sectors.