US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin opened a key summit meeting in the Slovak capital of Bratislava on Thursday amid a dispute between the two over Moscow's understanding of democracy.

The summit -- which will also focus on the Middle East peace process, the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and curbing the spread of nuclear weapons -- is the first meeting between the two leaders since Bush began his second term of office last month.

Bush arrived in Bratislava Wednesday for his first visit to Slovakia, the last stop of his European tour designed to heal the trans-Atlantic rift caused by his decision to invade Iraq in March 2003.

On Tuesday Bush told reporters in Brussels that he would remind Putin that "the United States believes strongly in democratic values."

However, Bush admitted that "it is important for us to keep a constructive relationship with Russia."

Putin, in Bratislava for a two-day visit, told Slovak media before his trip that his nation would pursue a model of democracy befitting its history and traditions.

He said he hoped his summit with Bush would be a friendly discussion covering global security issues and the fight against terrorism.

Analysts believe the summit will provide an indicator as to how Washington is likely to deal with Russia in the light of renewed emphasis placed by Bush on promoting democracy and confronting countries like Iran and Syria.

They also expected the Bush-Putin summit to yield an agreement to combat nuclear terrorism and better safeguard nuclear arsenals.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2005)