MOSCOW - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is working in Moscow to win Russian approval for a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe.
Rice is meeting Monday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and is scheduled for Tuesday talks with President Vladimir Putin, Voice of America reported Monday.
The secretary is hoping to convince Russia the U.S. plan for the missile defense shield -- which is planned for installation in Poland, the Czech Republic and a third as yet unnamed country -- is necessary to protect Europe from missile attacks.
"The Russian side does not believe American statements that these ballistic missile facilities will not be directed against Russia, but are a safeguard against rogue nations which seek nuclear weapons and missile technology to attack the United States and their allies," said Yevgeni Volk, director of the Heritage Foundation in Moscow. "So, I believe both sides can hardly find common ground, because the perceptions of ballistic missiles in Europe are quite different."
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