US President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin held oceanside talks today to try to ease tensions that have taken their countries' relations to a post-Cold War low.
Meeting at the Bush family's New England estate, the two leaders turned from fishing trips and lobster meals to serious diplomacy as they confronted the main issues that divide Washington and Moscow.
With Bush and Putin at odds over a planned US missile shield, the future of Kosovo and the state of democracy in Russia, their relationship has looked as rocky as the Maine coast that provided the setting for the talks.
Both sides advised against expecting breakthroughs as the informal, two-day summit neared an end.
Instead, they portrayed the meeting as a chance for Mr Bush and Mr Putin to revive the rapport they once enjoyed and to start mending US-Russia relations.
The talks between Bush and Putin are aimed at easing tensions between the US and Russia
"It was a lobster summit," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters after Mr Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, treated Mr Putin to a dinner of fresh Maine lobster and marinated swordfish last night.
Mr Putin is the first foreign leader the US president has hosted at the century-old Kennebunkport compound, reflecting a growing US sense of urgency about reversing the slide in relations.
The Bushes took Mr Putin on a speedboat tour of the choppy Atlantic waters shortly after his arrival yesterday and they went to sea again on a fishing expedition this morning.
Mr Putin 's aides said the two leaders had a discussion over dinner about upcoming elections in both countries that will choose their successors and agreed on the need to prevent campaign politics from impinging on US-Russia relations.
Aides agreed that the relaxed atmosphere was ideal to help the leaders narrow their differences but said it would not be enough to bridge them.
Mr Bush famously said in 2001 he trusted mr Putin after gaining a "sense of his soul." Since then, US Russian ties have slid to the lowest level since the Cold War.
The biggest dispute hanging over today's talks was a US plan to locate components of a missile defense system in eastern Europe. Saying he was not convinced by US insistence that the shield was meant to defend against "rogue states" like Iran, Mr Putin recently threatened to re-target missiles toward Europe.
Mr Bush was also expected to seek Mr Putin's support for tougher UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. Russia has softened previous penalties and may be reluctant to go along.
The two countries also disagree over Kosovo. Washington backs its independence from Serbia. Moscow opposes it.