U.S. to increase dialogue with Russia, report says

The United States will reach out more often and more intensively to Russia to soothe growing resentment from Moscow over aggressive U.S. foreign policy, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Plans by the United States to base elements of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, as well as Washington's support for expanding NATO, have compounded a sense of resentment from a Russian leadership emboldened by a flood of petro-dollars.

Senior U.S. officials said Russia deserved a more thorough dialogue on U.S. foreign policy and national security plans, the report said.

A senior U.S. official involved in developing the strategy was quoted as saying "we'll have more consultation and we'll do it more extensively and more intensively, so that there is a good understanding of each other's views."

The unnamed official said both the U.S. and Russia should sit down "to real dialogue, and have real dialogue where we try and address the interests and concerns of both sides."

Mutual interests include halting the alleged nuclear ambitions of Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, cooperating on counterterrorism and anti-narcotics efforts and on building missile defense, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. outreach strategy will also involve a more intensive dialogue between the Russian and U.S. militaries, a forum that might lend itself to fuller technical exchanges about Washington's plans for missile defense.

However, U.S. officials said, Russian threats will not halt Washington's plans to place elements of a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, nor diminish Washington's support of NATO expansion.

Source: Xinhua