Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday told President George W. Bush their recent visit to Moscow was “constructive,” the White House said. Rice and Gates “briefed the president on their recent trip to Moscow and the meetings that they had there with their counterparts as well as President [Vladimir] Putin and President-Elect [Dmitry] Medvedev,” said spokeswoman Dana Perino. The three U.S. officials discussed issues including missile defense, counter-terrorism, and counter-proliferation, Perino told reporters, adding that Rice and Gates “characterized their trip as good and constructive, and the Russians are now reviewing some of our proposals.” “We'll continue to have discussions [with the Russians] at various levels in the coming weeks,” Perino said.
