The U.S. Department of State hopes that Russia’s graduation from the Jackson-Vanik amendment will be secured this year.

“I emphasized the very high priority that President Obama attaches to doing everything that the U.S. can to help Russia achieve accession to the WTO and the graduation from Jackson-Vanik this year, 2011,” U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns told Interfax.

Commenting on the relations between Moscow and Washington in general, Burns said that “significant progress” has been made in the two years since the two Presidents began the “reset.”

Russia and the United States ratified the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty agreement and the agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation, deepened cooperation on Afghanistan, and established a bilateral presidential commission, he said.

Public opinion has changed in both countries as well, the high-ranking U.S. diplomat said.

“A recent polling, public opinion polling, suggests that more than 60 percent of Russians today have a favorable view of the U.S., which is more than two times what it was two years ago, and there are similar trends in the U.S. toward Russia,” Burns said.

A key task today is to “build on this moment to move beyond the ‘reset’ to widen and deepen our cooperation in a range of areas,” he said.

“We have come a really long way together over the last two years, and I think great deals can be accomplished in 2011 and beyond,” Burns said.