MUNICH – Russia welcomed yesterday an offer by the United States “to press the reset button” on relations with Moscow and suggested the two sides could jointly review the contentious issue of missile defence.
Deputy prime minister Sergei Ivanov said: “It is obvious that the new US administration has a very strong desire to change and that inspires optimism.” He described as “very positive” a remark by US vice-president Joe Biden at an international security conference in Munich that it was time to “reset” relations and end a dangerous drift in ties between Russia and Nato.
Moscow strongly opposed Bush-administration plans to deploy parts of a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Mr Ivanov indicated that Moscow was prepared to discuss missile threats with Washington.
“We do not claim there is no threat. The question is how we are going to react to the hypothetical threat of the spread of missile technologies,” he said.
Mr Ivanov said that if Washington scrapped the proposed missile shield, Russia would not proceed with the deployment of nuclear missiles near the Polish border. Asked whether Russia would take concrete steps to signal its readiness to work with the US, Mr Ivanov said: “We do not trade the way people do in a bazaar.” He was speaking after a meeting with Mr Biden yesterday.
Ties between Russia and the US have grown increasingly strained. Russia’s brief war with Georgia and its recognition of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were sharply condemned by the US. – (Reuters)