Acting undersecretary of state John Rood also met Russian diplomats in Budapest on Thursday as part of discussions on security and non-proliferation issues, including missile defense, in order to allay Russian concerns over the radar and interceptor missiles the U.S. wants to base in eastern Europe.
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The United States has made good progress in talks with Poland and the Czech Republic over the possible siting of the U.S. missile defense shield and all major issues have been resolved, a U.S. official said.
Acting undersecretary of state John Rood also met Russian diplomats in Budapest on Thursday as part of discussions on security and non-proliferation issues, including missile defense, in order to allay Russian concerns over the radar and interceptor missiles the U.S. wants to base in eastern Europe.
Rood said he was very optimistic about the negotiations with the Polish and the Czech governments but he did not indicate when they could be completed.
"We have made very significant progress just over the last couple of weeks with both countries in terms of those negotiations," Rood told a news conference.
!ADVERTISEMENT!"I don't think there are any major issues that are outstanding that are insurmountable."
The U.S. administration is seeking to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of its global shield against long-range ballistic missiles.
The U.S. says the shield will protect the United States and its allies from attack by what it calls "rogue" states such as Iran and North Korea. The plan has been strongly opposed by Russia which regards it as a threat to its security.
The Russian delegation in Budapest was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak. Russian diplomats did not speak at the news conference.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Robert Woodward)
