"While acknowledging that differences remain over the purposes of deployment of missile defense assets in Europe, we discussed new possibilities for mutual international cooperation in the field of missile defense, taking into account joint assessments of missile challenges and threats, aimed at enhancing the security of our countries, and that of our allies and partners," the leaders said in a joint statement after a meeting in London.
Washington has agreed with Warsaw and Prague on plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic by 2013. The United States says the defenses are needed to deter possible strikes from "rogue states" such as Iran.
Russia has consistently opposed the missile shield as a threat to its national security and the Russian president threatened last November to deploy Iskander-M missiles in the country's westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad, which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania, if the shield was put into operation.
However, top Russian officials have repeatedly expressed their hope that President Barack Obama will not follow through with the missile defense plans of his predecessor, George W. Bush.
