Global Security Newswire

U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday said he is dedicated to pursuing collaborative missile defense initiatives with Russia (see GSN, June 18).

"The American and Russian people increasingly face threats from countries that are developing more sophisticated missiles. We will be more able to address these threats together, and that’s why I am a strong proponent of cooperating with Russia on developing missile defense systems," Obama told Interfax ahead of his meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

"We have recently proposed to the Russian government a number of ways to begin this cooperation," he said.

Obama was expected during the talks yesterday to discuss a pending U.S.-Russian missile defense agreement. Obama administration officials last week rebuffed suggestions that the deal would limit future U.S. missile shield deployments.

"I believe that cooperative missile defense with Russia has enormous potential, since the sharing of our technologies and information, which we currently collect about missile launches from third countries, can make both of our countries more secure," Obama said.

The Obama administration announced last fall it plans over a period of years to deploy land- and sea-based variants of the U.S. Standard Missile 3 interceptor in and around Europe. The systems would be intended to provide a shield against short- and medium-range Iranian missiles.

"The phased adaptive approach to ballistic missile defense that we have proposed to deploy in Europe is not directed against Russia but is intended to protect our allies, our partners, and the American people from threats emanating from other countries such as Iran," the U.S. president said.

"In addition to this program, we are developing missile defense in other parts of the world and want to work with Russia to be a key player and beneficiary in this global architecture," he said (Interfax/Voice of Russia, June 24).