NATO nations and Russia adopted a declaration creating a new security co-operation forum today.
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President Bush waves to photographers as he arrives at Pratica di Mare military airport today for the NATO-Russia summit.
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The new council will give Russia an equal voice on security issues from terrorism to halting the spread of weapons of mass destruction. It crowns the transformation in relations between the former Cold War enemies since September 11th.
The new NATO Russia council will give Moscow more say in the Western defense alliance, creating a forum to battle terrorism, control arms and manage crises.
"In making this decision you have formally brought into existence the NATO Russia Council where all members around this table will work together as equal partners," NATO Secretary General Mr George Robertson told leaders of the 20 countries.
Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin joined US President Mr George W Bush and the heads of the 18 other NATO states at an Italian airbase close to Rome for the meeting.
The summit was a triumphant climax for President Bush's European tour, which featured the signing of a nuclear arms reduction accord with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.
The Council of 20 will give Russia an equal voice, something it never had in the hapless "19-plus-one" Permanent Joint Council (PJC) which was established in 1997 partly to console Moscow for NATO's first eastward enlargement.
But either side will be able to take back any security issue from the new forum if there is no consensus. Issues removed from the forum by the Western members could still be debated among the 19 NATO allies, thus barring Russia from any veto over independent action on their part.