U.S. to Boost Missile Defense Dialogue With Russia

U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday that he hopes increased dialogue can help persuade Russia that missile defense elements in Europe would be “a friendly force,” the Associated Press reported (see GSN, April 30).

Moscow has publicly and repeatedly objected to Washington’s plans to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic.  President Vladimir Putin last week noted the missile defense effort among his reasons for suspending Russia’s commitments under the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (see GSN, April 26).

 “Our intention of course is to have a defense system that prevents rogue regimes from holding Western Europe and/or America hostage,” Bush said.  “Evidently, the Russians see it differently.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met yesterday with Bush at the White House, has pushed the administration to better make its case to Russia for missile defense deployment in Europe.  She yesterday said Moscow should be involved in producing an analysis on whether the system is necessary, AP reported.

Bush asked Putin to meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Moscow last week to allow for a direct discussion of the proposal (see GSN, April 24).

“We have started a dialogue, as a result of Secretary Gates’ visit, that hopefully will make explicit our intentions, and hopefully will present an opportunity to share with the Russians so that they don’t see us an antagonist force, but see us as a friendly force,” Bush said (Desmond Butler, Associated Press/Forbes.com, April 30).

Negotiations with Poland and the Czech Republic should finish this year, the London Guardian reported.  However, the two nations are increasing their demands for U.S. support in exchange for hosting the missile defense elements.

“We want legal guarantees.  I can’t go into details but it is to do with how the base is protected and also about the base agreement,” said a senior Czech official.

Poland has reportedly requested Patriot air defense missiles that would provide protection against Russian short- and medium-range missiles (Ian Traynor, The Guardian, April 30).

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