Agence France-Presse,
Moscow: Russia believes the United States will build a European missile defense system against Moscow's objections, yet is pleased with recent US attempts at confidence-building, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a newspaper Tuesday.
“We were offered measures aimed at transparency and trust,” said Lavrov in an interview with daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.
“As the United States intends in any case to create their anti-missile shield in Europe, there's a point to taking advantage of these measures,” he said.
The missile row topped the agenda Sunday at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart George W. Bush in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The US military plans a limited anti-missile shield comprising 10 interceptors in Poland and a tracking radar in the Czech Republic.
Until recently, Moscow has dismissed US claims to be setting up the shield against emerging military powers such as Iran, saying that the system would be used against Russia.
However, Russia has significantly softened opposition and now appears to be focusing on getting security guarantees.
“The most important thing for us is the constant presence of our representatives at these sites so that we can see every second that the radar is not covering our territory and that the rocket interceptors are not a threat,” said Lavrov.
Bush announced a “breakthrough” after the meeting where Putin spoke of “cautious optimism” on ending the bitter row.
“I consider the important achievement in Sochi is that the American side has recognized the validity of our worries and expressed their readiness to try and remove those worries,” said Lavrov.
