Obama praises Russia's Putin before beluga breakfast

NOVO OGARYOVO, Russia (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama praised Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's achievements Tuesday, attempting to mend fences with Russia's powerful politician after criticizing him for Cold War thinking.

Obama went out of his way on the second day of his visit to compliment Putin, a former KGB spy who is the dominant partner in a power "tandem" with current President Dmitry Medvedev.

The U.S. leader said he had a good two-hour meeting with the former Kremlin chief at Putin's forest residence outside Moscow, where officials said the two men had a frank breakfast talk.

"I am aware of not only the extraordinary work that you've done on behalf of the Russian people in your previous role as prime minis-, uh, as president, but in your current role as prime minister," Obama said at the start of talks.

"We think there's an excellent opportunity to put U.S.-Russian relations on a much stronger footing," he said.

Putin, looking visibly awkward, told Obama that U.S.-Russian relations had a mixed history, sometimes flourishing but with grey days and even some confrontations.

The former KGB spy then invited Obama for a black caviar breakfast -- complete with a Russian samovar, smoked beluga, pancakes and tea -- on the terrace of his residence.

The 56-year-old Putin is known for setting great store on personal relationships with world leaders, though his warm ties with George W. Bush coincided with a stormy diplomatic links between the two countries.

COLD WAR WARRIOR?