The tensions between the USA and Russia seem to be building and becoming more strained almost daily.

Russia will not allow other countries to put restrictions on its arms exports, President Vladimir Putin said on
Wednesday. 

President Putin said that Russia would not take into consideration attempts to impose restrictions “based on
unilateral and politicized assessments”. 

Putin also said deliveries of Russian weapons are focused exclusively at increasing the capability of the countries
receiving them, and at maintaining their stability and safety. He did not go into detail regarding these comments.
However he did say:
“It is an absolute priority for us. Russia has strictly observed, is observing, and will strictly observe all
international commitments in the military technical sphere, in particular, the export control regime,”

U.S.A. authorities have called on Russia to discontinue arms deliveries to countries whose political regimes Washington
disapproves of. What are all these countries exactly? Last week, U.S.A. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Nicholas Burns urged the Russian government to cease arms deliveries to Iran. 

The United States and Russia have had on ongoing deadlock on missile defense in Europe, with the US defense secretary
saying the US has gone as far as it can to make Russia happy.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ comments came after Moscow rejected US concessions on its plans for missile
interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.
“I guess my view is I think we’ve leaned about as far forward as we can. We’ve offered a lot. And my
view is, now I want to see some movement on their part,” Gates told reporters as he flew back from Europe today.

Robert Gates said the USA proposals “represent a very forward-leaning posture in terms of partnering with the
Russians.”

“And I think the question is whether the Russians are serious about partnering with us, or whether this is merely
a pose to try and stop us from going forward with the Czech Republic and Poland,” he said.

Earlier today Russian Defense Minister Viktor Serdyukov said the US proposals were not enough to satisfy the Russian
concerns.

“All that has been proposed to us does not satisfy us, our position remains the same,” the ITAR-TASS and
Interfax news agency quoted Serdyukov as saying at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in the Netherlands.

The tougher position by Gates came amid rising US tensions with Iran and a warning by President Bush on Wednesday that
missile defenses were urgently needed to defend Europe.
“The need for missile defense in Europe is real, and I believe it is urgent,” Bush said, in a speech at the
National Defense University that was interpreted as being at odds with Gates’ softer approach to the Russians.

During a visit to Moscow earlier this month, Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented the Russians with
ideas for a regional missile defense scheme that would include Russia as well as NATO.

They proposed posting Russian liaison officers at US missile defense sites as well as at the radar site in the Czech
Republic if Prague agreed. The Czech leader said: “No comment” when asked if it would be okay to have
Russian soldiers in the Czech Republic. There are old tensions between Russia and the Czech Republic.

Gates stated during a trip to Prague, the United States would delay making the European site fully operational until
there was “definitive proof of the threat.”

He said Russian leaders have made clear that they recognize that Iran poses a security threat, but differ with
Washington on how long it will take the Iranians to develop progressively longer range missiles. Russian thinks this
time period is much longer than the the US does.

A US defense official, said the US had offered to tie the activation of the system to a agreed upon understanding with
the Russians of what would constitute a proven and real Iranian threat.

“What we are saying is we’re prepared to sit down with Russia and discuss what we would both regard as
indications of increasing capability” of Iran’s missiles, the official said.

Gates and US defense officials have said Russian President Vladimir Putin was intrigued enough by the proposals to
agree to experts meetings and a follow-on round of talks at the level of defense and foreign ministers.

Russia is concerned about the possibility that the missile defense system could be used against Russia at some point in
the future.

The United States, which is still negotiating with Poland and the Czech Republic for access to their territory, insists
that the planned missile defense system is no match for Russia’s nuclear arsenal and are aimed at a looming
Iranian missile threat. This is a difficult concern for Russia to accept and agree to.