Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will meet on Thursday in Moscow to discuss Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a variety of bilateral issues.
Biden arrived in Russia on Tuesday. His visit is taking place against a backdrop of the second anniversary of the much heralded 'reset' in bilateral relations, notable in particular for the signing of a new arms deal between Russia and the United States.
On Wednesday, Biden met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and said that Russia's membership in the WTO was a top priority for the United States.
Russia has been in talks on membership in the 153-nation WTO for 17 years. A recent Russia-EU summit assessed its chances to join the organization this year as very high.
Later on Thursday, Biden will give a speech at Moscow State University on bilateral relations of the two countries.
A Kremlin source earlier said Biden's visit is a run-up to an official visit to Moscow by U.S. President Barack Obama, due later this year.
MOSCOW, March 10 (RIA Novosti)
