President Bush, eager for Russian help in ongoing nuclear disputes with North Korea and Iran, tended to the sometimes-frosty Washington-Moscow relationship yesterday by paying a quick call on President Putin.

Mr. Bush paused to visit the Russian leader for an hour and a half at an airport stopover on his way to Asia for an eight-day trip that includes stays in Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Mr. Bush has meetings scheduled with several important allies, including Mr. Putin, on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific Rim leaders in Hanoi, Vietnam, later this week. But only Mr. Putin rated a social call as well. Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Alexei Gromov as saying the two presidents discussed the Iranian nuclear program, the situation in the Middle East, and nuclear nonproliferation. Mr. Gromov also confirmed that a bilateral agreement on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization was being readied for signing in Hanoi.

When Mr. Bush and his wife, Laura, landed, they were greeted on a red carpet on the tarmac by Mr. Putin and his wife, Lyudmila. The Russian president presented Mrs. Bush with a bouquet of yellow, orange, and red flowers and the foursome exchanged kisses.

Inside the marble-floored Vnukovo Airport terminal, the two couples took seats in ornate armchairs for photographers, a table nearby laid with lunch. The Bushes presented their hosts with a gift of a jumbo photograph of the four of them in one of the golf-cart sized electric cars that the Russians made available to leaders attending the Group of Eight summit that Mr. Putin hosted in St. Petersburg in June.

The brief gathering was billed by White House advisers as not much more than a greeting between friends while Mr. Bush accepted the Russian generosity of allowing Air Force One to refuel in Moscow halfway through the 19-hour flight to Singapore. But the rarity of a president flying east to Asia, rather than west, no doubt reflected that the Washington-Moscow relationship needs a little extra care lately.

Russian officials described the meeting as cordial. As Mr. Bush was boarding his plane to resume his journey, he got a hug from Mr. Putin.

Russia voted for American-backed U.N. sanctions on North Korea after it conducted a nuclear weapons test. Now, Washington is seeking to overcome Russian reluctance toward an upcoming vote on U.N. sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.