WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia have agreed to intensify talks on Moscow's nearly 17-year-old bid to join the World Trade Organization, a U.S. trade official said Tuesday.

"The United States stressed the importance it places on Russia's accession," Carol Guthrie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office, said after a day of high-level U.S.-Russian talks.

"The discussion centered on the steps that would be taken to work together to make that happen," Guthrie said.

White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov "agreed that the dialogue at all levels would continue and be intensified. The United States looks forward to Russia becoming a member of the WTO," Guthrie said.

The renewed push comes nearly a year after Russia threw its bid to join the WTO into confusion by announcing that it planned to join as a "customs union" with Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The U.S.-Russian talks Tuesday also included U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina.