BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO and Russia have clashed over the alliance's plan to build a missile defense system, but NATO's leader says he is optimistic the two sides can iron out their differences in time for a summit next May.
NATO’s Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the military alliance and Russia "are coming closer to reaching agreement" on principles for cooperating by creating two missile defense systems — one NATO and one Russian — that could exchange information.
But Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told the Interfax news agency Wednesday the idea of linked Russian and NATO missile shields "doesn’t suit us" and could spark a fresh arms race.
The U.S. says the shield would fend off Iranian missile threats and isn’t aimed against Russia, but Moscow wants legal guarantees on that.
