By SPA
Copenhagen, Denmark : U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday the United States and Russia have moved closer to an accommodation on U.S. missile defenses in Europe, and he expressed hope that new steps will be agreed on in weekend talks between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gates suggested at a news conference in Copenhagen, the Danish capital, that overcoming Russia’s objections to U.S. plans for missile defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic could have the added benefit of easing concerns among U.S. allies in Europe about Russia’s public threats to retaliate if the bases are installed.
Missile defense is among topics on the agenda of a NATO summit this week in Bucharest, Romania.
Asked about prospects for a breakthrough in the Putin-Bush talks following the summit, Gates said he was not predicting any particular result but believed the two sides had moved closer to an understanding in recent talks, including meetings he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held in Moscow in March.
Bush is scheduled to meet with Putin at the Black Sea resort of Sochi this weekend, following the NATO summit, to discuss missile defense, the Associated Press reported.