"There will be no joint declaration," the Kremlin official told reporters in Russia's second city ahead of the meetings.

The host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country's ties with the United States have become increasingly strained since US-led forces invaded Iraq on March 20, has maintained an uncomfortable silence after the unexpectedly swift military rout in Iraq.

The summit -- originally a two-day Russian-German bilateral summit with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, but later joined by French President Jacques Chirac -- is an attempt to regain the initiative by the war's original opponents, Russian commentators said.

The meetings had been due to be attended by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, but he abruptly cancelled the visit.

Paris, Berlin and Moscow formed an anti-war axis that was largely responsible for blocking Washington's attempts to get approval in the UN Security Council for its military operation in Iraq.

SPACE.WIRE