Russia will consider allowing the United States and NATO to ship weaponry across its territory to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.

Lavrov spoke the day after a delegation of U.S. diplomats met with Russian officials in Moscow to work out logistical details for Western military supplies to cross Russia.

Moscow has previously allowed non-lethal cargo from European nations to cross its territory and recently said it would let the U.S. do the same.

Asked by reporters whether Russia would also agree to include weaponry or other such lethal cargo, Lavrov said "additional steps are also possible."

"Last April and May we discussed the possibility of using Russian military cargo planes to deliver [U.S. and NATO] supplies," he said. "Any other agreements are also possible."

Normalizing Russia-NATO relations 'the most important thing'

He added that broader co-operation on Afghanistan would be contingent on improvement of Russia-NATO ties, which were frozen after last summer's Russia-Georgia war.

"The most important thing is to normalize Russia-NATO relations," Lavrov said, adding that the alliance must view Russia as an equal partner and respect its security interests.

He also welcomed the new U.S. administration's stated intention to reset relations with Russia.

"There are too many problems in the world which we must solve together, there are too many common threats Russia, the United States and Europe all face," he said. "The situation in Afghanistan is one of these problems."

A delegation led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Moon on Wednesday wrapped up two days of talks in Moscow on details of Afghanistan-bound shipments via Russia and other issues related to the war effort.

"Noting the importance of bringing stability to Afghanistan, the two sides agreed to continue co-operation and discussions in the future," the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said after the talks ended.

With violence rising in Afghanistan, U.S. President Barack Obama plans to send as many as 30,000 additional forces this year.

Other supply lines looking precarious

But supplying the forces has become increasingly tenuous as insurgents intensify attacks on supply lines through Pakistan — the primary route for U.S. supplies.

Transit routes through Russia and possibly through the Central Asia nations of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan would serve as key alternatives to Pakistan routes.

Adding to the uncertainty is the decision last week by another Central Asian nation, Kyrgyzstan, to evict U.S. forces from an air base that is important to U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

Kyrgyz officials complained that the United States was underpaying the impoverished country for the base and public resentment spiked in 2006 when a U.S. serviceman fatally shot a Kyrgyz truck driver during a security check at the base entrance.

U.S. officials suspect that Moscow, which promised billions in aid and loans for impoverished Kyrgyzstan, was behind the decision to close the Manas base. The Kyrgyz government has denied it moved to close the base after receiving $2 billion US in aid from Russia. The U.S. pays Kyrgyzstan $17.4 million US a year to use the base, according to the Department of Defence.

A delegation headed by deputy assistant secretary of state Patrick Moon travelled to Moscow Tuesday to work out details of allowing Afghan-bound shipments to cross Russia.