It now says it is acutely worried about how a revised missile shield might look and is insisting that Moscow, Washington and Nato design and build such a shield together as "equal partners". But its overtures have been politely rebuffed so far amid concerns in the West over Russia’s reliability as a political and military partner. It appears that the Kremlin’s patience is now starting to wear thin and that it sees Mr Biden’s visit as a crucial opportunity to convey the seriousness of its message.