MOSCOW, January 14 (RIA Novosti) - Senator Hillary Clinton's recent remarks in the U.S. Senate indicate Washington's desire to improve relations with Moscow, Russian political experts commented on Wednesday.

At a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for secretary of state said she planned to work very closely with Russia on key economic, security, nonproliferation and arms control issues.

"The content of Clinton's remarks was predictable. The new administration is abandoning the unipolar approach [in foreign policy] and we can see the outline of a concept that differs from the Bush policy. Clinton's address shows U.S. willingness to establish good, constructive relations with Russia," said Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy director of the Moscow-based USA and Canada Institute.

"Clinton's statement on cooperation with Russia and China on key security issues indicates that the Americans will attempt to avoid unnecessary tension and, perhaps, will choose areas where our security interests coincide. As to economic cooperation, the Americans realize that they will not be able to resolve financial issues without Russia," he added.

However, the analyst expressed doubt that the relations between Washington and Moscow, marred by recent spats over NATO expansion and the U.S. missile shield in Central Europe, would improve quickly.

"Clinton's speech does not mean that the relations between Russia and the United States will become better in a short time. The Americans simply hinted that they would want to find understanding with Russia," Kremenyuk said. "The question is - whether Russia will want to or simply can respond to this adequately."

The president of the New Eurasia Foundation in Moscow, Andrei Kortunov, said Clinton's remarks suggested there was some hope for better relations with Washington.

"We can approach the future development of relations with the U.S with cautious optimism," he said. "The arrival of a new administration always provides a good opportunity for improving relations. However, much would depend on the position of the Russian leadership."

He said relations between Washington and Moscow would most likely "linger" at the current level for a few months until the strategy and the priorities of the Obama administration become clear.

"A pause in the [U.S-Russia] dialogue is inevitable. It will take time to put together the team, develop the strategy and determine the priorities. The situation may become clearer in the spring, especially after the upcoming NATO summit, when the U.S. announces its position in relation to Georgia and Ukraine," Kortunov said.

Under outgoing President George Bush, Washington has been pushing for quicker integration of the two former Soviet republics into NATO. Moscow strongly opposes Kiev and Tbilisi's NATO drive, fearing it would threaten Russia's national security.