2010-09-16 06:36

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has opened its doors to Russia's defense minister, the first high-level meeting of its kind in nearly six years and one that defense officials see as a milestone in improving US-Russian relations.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his Kremlin counterpart, Anatoly Serdyukov, pledged on Wednesday to increase cooperation. They said a closer relationship could involve new joint military programs and exercises.

Defense officials said they hoped the talks would help revive Washington's relations with Moscow, which hit a post-Cold War low point in 2008 when Russia sent its troops into neighboring Georgia.

No Russian defense minister has been to the Pentagon since January 2005.