[…] Once nuclear rivals but today partners, the United States and Russia have signed an agreement to allow the development of nuclear energy for civilian purposes, expand trade and strengthen efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation. President Bush approved the agreement May 5, and it was signed by U.S. Ambassador William Burns and Rosatom Director Sergey Kiriyenko May 6 in Moscow. Rosatom is Russia's state nuclear corporation.

[…] Russia is the world's largest exporter of natural gas and the second largest exporter of oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Global demand for energy and raw materials have fueled marked, steady, growth in the Russian economy, making it a prime location not only for energy investors, says Eugene Lawson, president go the U.S.-Russia Business Council, but also for those looking to invest in real estate, consumer goods, manufacturing, technology and services.

[…] With U.S. exports to Russia on the upswing and the bilateral trade imbalance narrowing, Bush administration officials are optimistic that an improved U.S.-Russian economic relationship is in the offing. “We acknowledge the great potential for expanding bilateral trade and investment and the significant benefits this would bring to both our economies,” says the U.S.-Russian Strategic Framework Agreement.

[…] Expert-level negotiations on the missile defense plan will take time, said National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, but developments in Bucharest and Sochi represent a step forward in meeting 21st-century security challenges. “You have both now the NATO alliance and the Russian Federation signed on to pursuing missile defense,” Hadley told reporters as they returned from Sochi. “We have been trying to engage the alliance and Russia in missile defense now for about 15 years, and it has finally all come together today.”

[…] President Bush and President Putin issued on April 6, 2008, in Sochi a Declaration setting forth a framework for strategic cooperation between the United States and Russia. The Declaration outlines key elements of ongoing and new strategic initiatives between the two countries, including steps to promote security in the face of new and emerging threats; prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction; combat global terrorism; and advance economic cooperation.

[…] Since our first meeting in Ljubljana back in 2001, we have had an open and sincere relationship, and this has allowed us, without any circumventions or conventions, to start discussion the most pressing issues on the international and bilateral agenda. This dialogue is not always easy between our two countries. There have been and there remain certain disagreements on a number of issues, but the search of common denominators is going on.