Mr Putin and Mr Bush discussed the US decision to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. The Russian President confirmed the main points of his December 13, 2001 statement. Both leaders expressed their support for an expanded bilateral dialogue in the sphere of strategic stability, as well as that concerning the entire agenda of Russian-US relations. They stressed that such large-scale work would become particularly important during preparations for President Bush’s official visit to Russia next year, whose timeframe remained to be coordinated.
The conversation was held on the initiative of the US side.