Moscow has no information that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

But he said Moscow shared the West's concerns that Tehran's nuclear program had to be "transparent".

Mr Putin was speaking after talks in Moscow with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who said the two countries had made progress on the Iran issue.

Iran denies accusations that it is seeking to build a nuclear bomb, saying its program is for civilian use.

"We do not have data that says Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons. We do not have such objective data," Mr Putin said at a joint news conference with Mr Sarkozy.

"Therefore we proceed from a position that Iran has no such plans but we share the concern of our partners that all programs should be as transparent as possible," the Russian leader added.

Meanwhile, Mr Sarkozy said that Paris and Moscow had made progress in ironing out their differences on the Iran issue.

He said that their positions were moving "towards the same path".

Mr Sarkozy has been pushing for tougher sanctions against Tehran but Russia has opposed the move.

Mr Sarkozy said earlier that the two leaders had bridged differences over the issue of Kosovo's future status.

"We saw a path which could eventually allow us to bring our views closer," he said.

Russia is fiercely opposed to independence for Serbia's breakaway province, while France - along with other Western nations - supports it.

PHOTO CAPTION

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands in Novo Ogaryovo