MOSCOW, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russian-U.S. talks and Russian-NATO discussions on missile defense have been unproductive.
"Our partners are using different means to duck our question why it is not allowed to give strict legal binding guarantees saying missile defense is not aimed against Russia," Lavrov said Monday.
Russia wants assurances U.S. global missile defense plans are not directed against Russian interests, he said.
"The fact that the United States ignores our ideas makes us think that our partners are not sincere in full," ITAR-Tass quoted him as saying.
"This runs counter [to] the agreements, which were concluded at the Russian-American bilateral summits and within the Russia-NATO Council summit, including the summit in Lisbon, saying we will work jointly," the Russian minister said.
"The situation is serious. During the upcoming talks between the Russian and U.S. presidents, we will raise this problem because it is necessary to take final decisions on what we should do further," Lavrov said.
Russian permanent representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said NATO's position on the issue was not helping.
"[If] NATO strictly follows the U.S. missile defense policy, bypassing the position of the partners and even the allies, this can complicate our mutual relationship in all fields," he said.
