Sochi (Russia), Sept 14: Former US President George Bush, on a private visit to Russia just two weeks ahead of his son's summit with Vladimir Putin, arrived today in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi and was greeted at the airport by the Russian leader. Bush and his wife Barbara traveled to Sochi on a plane provided by the Rossiya airline, which serves Putin and other Russia government figures, the Interfax news agency reported. Putin met them on the tarmac, shaking bush's hand and giving Barbara a bouquet of roses, it said.

After a brief exchange - with Putin speaking English, a language in which he been trying to improve his proficiency - the three got into a car and headed to a presidential residence in Sochi, where Putin spends time during holidays and working vacations, Interfax reported. The elder Bush's first visit to Russia since 1998 came before a summit set to be held in between Putin an US President George W Bush that the Kremlin said last week will be held Sept 26 at the American leader's Camp David, Maryland retreat.

Russian news agencies quoted an unidentified Kremlin official as saying Saturday that a central theme of talks between Putin and the elder Bush would be the development of Russian-US relations in the past decade and the opportunities presented by the upcoming summit.

The Kremlin official said that World Affairs since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States two years ago would also be discussed, Interfax and the Itar-Tass News Agency reported. Bureau Report