From the Global Security Newswire: A NATO official in a Wednesday radio interview hinted that a "political" agreement on missile defense cooperation could be reached with Russia in the coming months, ITAR -Tass reported (see GSN, April 6).

“I think it’ll be possible to tap some form of an agreement at the political level within the next few months,” NATO information bureau head in Moscow Robert Pszczel told Ekho Moskvy.

The NATO official said he did not think the former Cold War rivals had reached an impasse in their missile defense discussions, noting that the two sides carry out joint drills together. . . .

While Russia and NATO have held multiple rounds of talks on cooperating on missile defense, the two sides have been unable to resolve the fundamental issue of Moscow’s suspicions that the system would be secretly aimed at its long-range nuclear missiles. The Kremlin has also been angered by NATO’s efforts to implement its antimissile plans while Russian concerns go unresolved. . . .

“This is partnership, albeit a knotty and difficult one,” he [Pszczel] said.  (photo: RIA Novosti)  (via @Kostian_V)

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