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Pentagon exploring Russian collaboration in missile defense plans

17 June 2009 10:28 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Lachin Sultanova â€“ APA. US Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn made report to Congress on the Pentagonâ€™s plans about Russian joining the US missile defense. He told Congress that the Obama administration is exploring ways to involve two Russian radar installations in a missile-defense system for Central Europe, APA reports quoting The Washington Post.
"We are looking at the alternatives in Europe, including the Polish-Czech option, to defend against an Iranian missile threat," Lynn told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We are exploring the cooperation with the Russians and we haven’t made a final decision on how to proceed there." Lynn said that Russian radar installations in Armavir, Russia and Gabala, Azerbaijan would be helpful in the missile defense system.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates also said that possibility of use of Russian facilities was on agenda. Russia said it has not received concrete proposal from Washington yet.

Valdimir Putin, then Russian president, offered to US president George Bush use of these two radar installations as an alternative to the missile defense systems in Czech Republic and Poland.