Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in the letter, in response to a request from Karzai in November 2008, that "Russia is ready to help Afghanistan in its defence institutions".

Medvedev was quoted as saying that Russia considered Afghanistan "a friendly country" and assessed as excellent its efforts to build government and restore peace.

Russia "is ready to provide broad assistance for an independent and democratic country that lives in a peaceful atmosphere with its neighbours," the statement quoted Medvedev as saying in his letter.

"I agree with you that the continuation of cooperation in the defence sector brings about effective and joint cooperation between our countries and it will be effective for establishing peace in the region," he was cited as saying.

The details of any assistance were vague, however, and the letter cautioned that "more importantly, first the grounds for such cooperations between our countries must be specified."

No one from the Russian embassy in Kabul was immediately able to comment.

Relations between Kabul and Moscow have been traditionally cool following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that spawned an armed resistance that eventually drove out the Red Army 10 years later.

The occupiers built an Afghan army that still uses Soviet equipment.

Russia does not contribute to the Western-dominated international deployment of 60,000 to 70,000 troops, on which a weak Afghan government depends to fight a deadly Taliban-led insurgency.

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