Russian President Vladimir Putin ( news - web sites ) arrived in Washington on Monday night on his first official visit to the United States, according to a Reuters television cameraman at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington.
Putin and President Bush ( news - web sites ) were scheduled to meet at the White House on Tuesday, for the first of three days of talks expected to end with announcements about nuclear arms reductions by both sides.
The two leaders were also expected to issue a statement on the future of Afghanistan ( news - web sites ) and cooperation on counterterrorism. Putin has been a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
In the last two months, Putin has thrown his political weight behind U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. He has also shared Russian intelligence with the United States on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and the al Qaeda network of Saudi-born Islamic militant Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites ), whom Washington blames for the Sept. 11 attacks on America.