Agence France-Presse,
Moscow: The United States is beginning to take into account Russian concerns over the deployment of a US missile defence system in Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
“Our latest contacts with our American colleagues show that… they are looking for solutions to the problem to remove our concerns,” Putin said during a televised question-and-answer session in the Kremlin.
Putin also warned against attempts to “stir up the situation” and said that Russia had prepared unspecified response measures should Washington deploy the missile defence system unilaterally.
The United States has outlined plans to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic to guard against possible missile attacks from countries such as Iran and North Korea.
Moscow has opposed these plans, saying the system is aimed against Russia.
Talks on missile defence last Friday in Moscow between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and their Russian counterparts appeared to fall through.
But Putin said on Tuesday during a visit to Iran that he saw potential changes in the US position. “The latest contacts with the Americans demonstrate that a certain change in their point of view is possible,” Putin said then.
