Schroeder, Putin celebrate Orthodox Christmas

The German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, who's on a private visit to Moscow, is spending the second day celebrating the Orthodox Christmas with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders were accompanied by their wives on a visit to one of Moscow's main tourist attractions, the Kolomenskoye museum estate, where they were greeted by Russians in traditional costume. Their visit included a troika ride and a visit to a log cabin built by Peter the Great. President Putin and Mr Schroeder earlier attended a midnight service in Moscow's Christ the Saviour cathedral.

In a Christmas address, Mr Putin said the celebration of two-thousand years of Christianity had united people around Christian values.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service