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MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin's offer of cooperation with the United States on missile defense is good only if the U.S. renounces plans to deploy elements in central Europe, a
Russian official emphasized Thursday.
The statement appeared aimed at establishing a firm position ahead of talks on the issue between the defense and foreign ministers of Russia and the U.S., which Deputy Foreign Minister Boris
Malakhov said would take place in October.
"A fundamental condition of the realization of our proposals is the rejection by the United States of the deployment of anti-missile defense bases in Europe and the placement of anti-missile
strike facilities in space," Malakhov said in a statement issued by the ministry.
U.S. President George W. Bush's plans to place missile defense facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic have angered Russia, which rejects U.S. insistence that they are aimed at
countering a potential threat from Iran and claims they are meant to upset the strategic balance by weakening Russia's nuclear deterrent.
Putin earlier this year offered an alternative, saying Russia and the United States could share a Russian-rented radar station in Azerbaijan. Use of the station would replace a planned
facility in the Czech Republic, and missiles for the system could be deployed at sea or in nations such as Turkey, precluding the need for facilities in Europe, Putin said.
U.S. officials have portrayed the Russian proposal as a positive sign, saying it suggests Moscow shares U.S. concerns about a missile threat and is open to cooperation. But the Bush
administration has shrugged off Russia's calls for a halt to the European plans while cooperation is discussed, and Malakhov emphasized that Russia's offer is meant as an alternative to
those plans, not something that can be implemented alongside them.
The dispute over missile defense is one of several that have seriously strained relations between Russia and the United States, which is concerned about the state of democracy in Russia and
the Kremlin's treatment of opponents, as well as its assertive actions in the former Soviet Union and beyond. Putin has repeatedly criticized the United States for its own aggressive
behavior in the international arena.
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