The United States will continue talks with Moscow on missile shield and World Trade Organization membership no matter who becomes Russia's next president, a U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson said on Monday, RIA Novosti reported.
"Regardless of who wins the next election, our priorities remain the same. We believe the reset's been in both of our nations, and indeed the world's, best interests. And, you know, we're going to continue to cooperate with Russia in areas where we can cooperate constructively," Mark Toner told a media briefing.
"Looking forward, we want to try to resume missile defense cooperation, and we're also seeking to finalize Russia's accession to the WTO," he said.
On Saturday Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to run for president in next year's election, ending months of speculation over which man would run for the post.
The White House said later in the day Washington would continue to build on the progress of the reset of the relations with Russia regardless of who Russia's next leader is.