Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been warned by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that the United States needs to increase trade with his country.

Trade between the two countries had dropped from $36 billion to $16 billion since the start of the global economic crisis, Putin said in an appearance with Clinton Friday in Russia.

The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Putin also warned full cooperation with the United States would be impossible until Russia was admitted to the World Trade Organization. According to Clinton's aides Putin's lecture was an attempt to impress his Russian television audience and Clinton seemed unfazed by the lecture.

Clinton, meeting with Putin at the end of a two-day trip, chose to highlight how close Russia and the United States were in agreeing to a new pact to replace the expired Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

A recent visit by high-tech executives to Russia -- a trip organized by the White House and the State Department was also mentioned by her.

She said, "If we continue to work together, we can move beyond the problems to greater opportunities." (With Inputs from Agencies)