MOSCOW, Jan 23: President Dmitry Medvedev has said that Moscow is ready to help stabilise the situation in Afghanistan by allowing the United States and others to ship cargo intended for coalition forces in the war-torn country across Russian territory.

During his visit to Uzbekistan on Friday, Mr Medvedev said that Russia was also prepared to help international efforts to combat drug-trafficking and terrorism in Afghanistan.

He voiced hope that US President Barack Obama’s administration would do better than its predecessors in stabilising Afghanistan.

“Let’s hope the new US administration will be more successful than the previous one in dealing with the Afghan settlement,” he said on television.

Mr Medvedev’s comments appeared to reflect the Kremlin’s wish to mend ties with Washington, which deteriorated under the administration of George W. Bush.

US and Nato forces in Afghanistan get up to 75 per cent of ‘non-lethal’ supplies such as food, fuel and building materials from shipments that cross Pakistan, where they have been increasingly targeted by militants.

“We are ready to work on the most acute issues, (such as) ... deliveries of non-military cargo,” Mr Medvedev said, adding that cooperation with the United States must be “full-fledged and equal.”

—AP