The US and Russian presidents dressed down and went fishing at informal talks designed to diminish the heat on months of rancor reminiscent of the Cold War, but the tensions still simmer. While George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin angled for a truce at their "lobster summit" at the Bush family`s idyllic summer retreat, missile defense and Iran`s nuclear ambitions were two issues guaranteed to disturb the waters. The Russian leader had the catch of the day Monday, and not just for the striped bass that he plucked out of the waters on a boating trip with Bush and Bush`s namesake father, the 41st US president. Having last month offered to host a controversial US missile defense system on a Russian base in Azerbaijan, Putin grabbed the headlines with a proposal to extend the US scheme to other parts of Europe, with NATO participation. While welcoming the idea as "very constructive and bold," Bush checked Putin by insisting that the Czech Republic and Poland must remain "integral" to the system. The exchange was a reminder that the United States and Russia are navigating through some of their choppiest waters since the Soviet Union`s demise allowed the former Warsaw Pact nations to turn their gaze westwards. "The Kennebunkport meeting seems to have succeeded in rekindling a sense of camaraderie between the two leaders," commented Charles Kupchan, professor of international affairs at Washington`s Georgetown University. "But there doesn`t seem to have been substantial progress on reaching concrete agreements on any of the major areas of dispute," he told AFP. For Russia, Washington`s plans to install a radar station in the Czech Republic and anti-missile batteries in Poland are an incursion into its backyard that could undermine its own offensive capability. Although the United States insists the system is aimed at "rogue states" like Iran, for Russia the planned deployment is a step too far coming with the NATO alliance already stretching deep into its former sphere of influence. Putin`s surprise offer could be a "serious proposal that could provide an alternative to the current plan," said Kupchan, who headed European affairs on the National Security Council under president Bill Clinton. "It`s also possible that he`s simply trying to throw a wrench into the works and divert the US from proceeding with the planned deployment in Poland and the Czech Republic." In between speedboat trips near the rocky Maine shore and meals of lobster and swordfish, Bush and Putin finalized an agreement allowing civil nuclear cooperation between the United States and Russia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were expected Tuesday to sign documents assuring the right of countries to pursue peaceful nuclear development without allowing weapons proliferation. Bush said he and Putin had agreed on the need to send a "common message" to Iran over its nuclear program, which the United States and European allies say is a drive for atomic bombs that should be punished by tougher UN sanctions. "When Russia and America speak along the same lines, it tends to have an effect," the US leader said. But Putin said Iran had been more willing to cooperate with UN nuclear inspectors and with the European Union on its nuclear program, under which it is enriching uranium. "So far, we have managed to work within the framework of the Security Council, and I think we will continue to be successful on this track," Putin said. In terms of mood music at least, Bush and Putin struck the right notes after months of heated rhetoric that included a veiled comparison by Putin of the US administration to Adolf Hitler`s Third Reich. With some foreign leaders, Bush averred, there was the nagging doubt that he was hearing less than the truth. "I`ve never had to worry about that with Vladimir Putin. Sometimes he says things I don`t want to hear. "But I know he`s always telling me the truth," he said, while Putin thanked the Bush family for giving him a welcome at Kennebunkport that went "way beyond" the starched obligations of state protocol. Following the talks Putin headed for Guatemala City to push for a Russian city to host the 2004 Winter Olympics at a IOC meeting there. Putin arrived shortly 6 pm local time (0000 GMT Monday) at an air force base south of here and was greeted by Guatemalan Foreign Minister Gert Rosenthal, officials said. The International Olympic Committee is meeting here Tuesday to choose between Salzburg (Austria), Pyeongchang (South Korea) and Russia`s Black Sea resort of Sochi as the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Also in the Guatemalan capital ahead of Tuesday`s meeting were South Korean President Roh-Moo Hyun and Austrian Prime Minister Alfred Gusenbauer. Putin on Tuesday will also have a one-on-one meeting with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger, with whom he will discuss bilateral issues, officials said.