Russia to talk on missile shield
Foreign Desk Report

MOSCOW—Russia is ready for further dialogue with the United States on missile defense cooperation, a top official said Monday after Moscow received formal proposals from Washington aimed at easing tension over the divisive issue.
While First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov accused the U.S. of aggressive military activity in Europe, his comments signaled more flexibility than the initial Russian reaction to the proposals the U.S. submitted in writing last week.
He spoke hours before expected discussions on the matter between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ahead of Middle East peace talks in the United States.
“We are ready for dialogue, but at the same time we are of course guided by our national interests, and if our partner has new military capabilities next to our borders ... we probably have to think about it,” Ivanov told Russian News Service radio.
Russia has sharply opposed U.S. plans to deploy missile defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. The United States says the system would counter a potential Iranian threat, but Moscow says it believes the real aim is to weaken Russia’s nuclear deterrent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered an alternative involving joint use of a Russian-operated radar station in Azerbaijan, but has cited the U.S. plans as a factor in his decision to suspend Moscow’s participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, which limits regional military deployments.
The Bush administration welcomed Putin’s offer but pushed ahead with its plans for Eastern Europe while continuing talks with Russia on missile defense cooperation.
Moscow is ready for dialogue on the latest U.S. proposals for a missile shield in Europe, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said during a radio interview on Monday.
The United States submitted a package of documents to Russia last week setting out compromise proposals on its missile shield, part of which it wants to locate in eastern Europe.
“The American side has sent us a letter with proposals on the missile defense shield,” Ivanov told the Russian News Service radio station.
“We are ready for dialogue, but at the same time we are guided, of course, by our own national interests and if our partner places new military capabilities less than 200 kilometers (120 miles) from our borders at the Kaliningrad region, we have to think about it.”
Ivanov’s comment was more upbeat than earlier Russian reaction to the proposals. Last week the Russian foreign ministry said it was disappointed by the proposals — first laid out when U.S. Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice visited Moscow in October.
Washington wants to station interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic as part of a shield it says is designed to protect Europe from “rogue states” such as Iran and North Korea.
But the plans have angered Moscow which says it is the shield’s real target. The Kremlin has called the U.S. plan a threat to its national security.