Joking on Saturday's informal meeting and dinner with Putin held upon his arrival and accompanied by folk music and dance, Bush called Putin a "strong leader" who feels free to speak his mind.

He told reporters that the Cold War has passed and that the two countries are no longer enemies.

"We have reaffirmed that the era when Russia and the United States viewed one another as enemies, or as a strategic threat, is gone," says the declaration on the strategic framework of Russia-U.S. relations.

U.S. President George W. Bush walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the grounds of Putin's summer retreat in Sochi April 6, 2008. The United States and Russia are interested in creating a system against potential missile threats, Bush and Putin said in a joint declaration on Sunday.

President-elect's voice

Following the March 2 election, Putin is to leave office on May7, when his successor and close ally, President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, will take office. Bush will also step down at the end of the year.

Describing Medvedev as a "smart fellow," Bush said his meeting with the next Russian head of state in Sochi on Sunday was "impressive" and that he was "looking forward to working with him."

Medvedev, widely seen as a pro-liberal politician, has vowed to continue Putin's policies.

The declaration on the strategic framework of Russia-U.S. relations also listed the main subjects in bilateral ties for the two states' future leaders.

"Russian-American relations are the key factor of security in the world," Russian news agencies quoted Medvedev as saying during talks with Bush in Sochi.

The youngest ever Russian president-elect, 42, pledged to promote bilateral ties "without hitches in the future" after taking power.

"There might be some breakthrough, at least in the mode of Russia-U.S. relations," said Viktor Mizin, an analyst with the Institute for Strategic Assessment.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2008)