Obama offers Russia Abandonment of Missile Shield

The president of the United States has sent a secret letter to the government in Moscow: he is offering an exchange if Russia succeeds at stopping Iranian missile plans.

In this “secret letter” to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, President Barack Obama proposed the abandonment of the debated setup of a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. As the New York Times reported, Moscow, in return, should help prevent the development of Iranian long-range missiles. The letter was handed to Medvedev in person by a highly-ranked U.S. government official three weeks ago.

The letter states that the United States would not need the missile defense system if Iran discontinued any effort to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Russia had vehemently opposed the American plans for the missile shield that had been initiated by Obama’s predecessor George W. Bush.

According to this plan, the United States meant to install ten missiles and a radar station in an area of Poland and the Czech Republic in order to fend off long-range missile attacks from Iran in time. Russia had always regarded the setup of the missile shield in such close proximity as a threat. When it leaked out a few weeks ago that the new U.S. government was no longer pursuing the plan for the missile shield with the previous dedication, Russia announced a suspension to its already began missile project in Kaliningrad as well.

A couple of weeks ago, Obama’s security advisor, James Jones, mentioned that the United States was re-evaluating the necessity for the defense system. Now it could be used as a pressurizing medium against Russia to influence Iran.

With its close trading relations and its military and diplomatic connections, Russia has the opportunity to argue Iran out of its missile plans. Over the past years, the government in Moscow had often avoided adopting Washington’s hard line against Iran. In the UN Security Council, Russia, in collaboration with China, had continuously prevented serious sanctions.

As of now, Moscow has not answered the letter yet. According to reports, Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov could address the subject on Friday in Geneva during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It is not unlikely that the reaction will be a positive one. On Monday, the influential Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Obama’s letter and calls it a “sensational offer.”

The letter is a response to the message that Medvedev sent shortly after Obama’s Inauguration. It is considered an attempt to build a completely new foundation for Russian-American relationships. Vice President Joseph Biden had already formulated this objective a few weeks ago.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates also reminded that in a discussion with Russia a year ago, the United States had already proposed urging Iran to the abandon their missile plans so that the U.S. would not have to build a missile defense system. Obama’s assumption to office was now the reason for discussing the subject once again. He hoped, says Gates, that the prospects of cooperation will significantly improve under these new conditions.