WORLD> Europe
Russia not to compromise on missile deal
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-19 09:33

MOSCOW: Russia will be more attentive to US concerns following its revamp of the missile defense plans in Eastern Europe, but won't make primitive compromises, said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday.

Medvedev told Swiss media ahead of his first state visit to Switzerland next week that the US decision was "a good message."

"It shows that our American partners are at least ready to listen to the Russian arguments, to hold the dialogue and to make decisions, which will mellow the situation," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.

"If our partners listen to our concerns, we will be more attentive to their concerns, as well. This does not imply any primitive compromises or exchanges. However, their readiness to listen to us implies that we must be attentive to our American partners," he said.

US President Barack Obama announced Thursday the United States would abandon a Bush-era missile defense shield program while initiating a "phased, adaptive approach" of the plan in Eastern Europe.

The George W. Bush administration planned to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic as part of its European missile shield to protect its European allies from missile threats from "rogue states."

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Hours after Obama announced the abandonment of the missile defense plan on Thursday, Medvedev welcomed the decision in a televised speech, saying it had created a fairly good environment for joint assessment of global missile proliferation risks.

"We value the responsible approach of the US president to our agreement. I am ready to continue our dialogue," said Medvedev, referring to their discussions during Obama's July visit to Moscow and their first meeting in London early April.

Medvedev also hoped the two countries could jointly devise missile non-proliferation measures, and said he would discuss with his US counterpart relevant issues during their meeting in New York on Sept. 23.