Putin in surprise offer to US on missile defence

Putin in surprise offer to US on missile defence
By Andrew Ward in Heiligendamm
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: June 8 2007 03:00 | Last updated: June 8 2007 03:00



Vladimir Putin yesterday seized the initiative in the dispute over US plans to site anti-missile defences in central Europe, suggesting instead a joint plan to base part of the system at a former Soviet radar station in Azerbaijan.

The Russian leader took George W. Bush, US president, by surprise when he made the proposal at the G8 summit in Germany following weeks of rising tensions over the programme.

Mr Putin said he had secured agreement from Azerbaijan to use the radar as part of a collaborative system that would protect Europe from incoming missiles.

If Washington accepted the proposal, he would not haveto carry out his recent threat to retarget Russian missiles against Europe, Mr Putin said.

"This will make it unnecessary for us to place our offensive complexes along the border with Europe," Mr Putin told reporters, standing beside Mr Bush.

Mr Bush described the proposal as "interesting" and said both sides had agreed to engage in "strategic dialogue" to "share ideas" over missile defence.

Stephen Hadley, US national security adviser, said the proposal demonstrated Russian willingness to engage in "real co-operation" on missile defence.

But the two sides were at odds over the potential role of the Azerbaijan radar. Mr Putin portrayed it as an alternative to planned US radar in the Czech Republic. But Mr Hadley said only that Azerbaijan could make a contribution to the system.

Pavel Felgenhauer, a defence analyst in Moscow, said the Gabala radar station was not a suitable substitute for the Czech Republic as it was too close to Iran. It was also too far from the planned US interceptor base in Poland to be viable.

"The Pentagon won't want this at all," he said. "The White House will not reject it out of hand, but I don't forecast any agreement."

Mr Bush has repeatedly called for Russia to "participate" in missile defence. But Russia's proposal went beyond the level of co-operation the US had envisaged. It is unlikely that the US would let its missile shield rely on a former Soviet radar.

Analysts will question whether the proposal marks the start of negotiations that could lead to a compromise, or was made in the knowledge that it would be rejected by the US.

In addition to its planned radar in the Czech Republic, the US wants to locate 10 missile interceptors in Poland.

Washington has argued that the facilities are too close to Russia and too limited to protect against Russia's thousands of ballistic missiles. Moscow views the programme as an expansion of US military influence.