The meeting was announced after US defence secretary Robert Gates met Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday in an attempt to calm growing Kremlin opposition to the missile shield.
Although Mr Gates did not achieve any visible breakthrough during a succession of discussions, it led to a phone call between Mr Putin and US president George Bush.
"I'm pleased we're opening into an intensive period in US and Russian relations," said Mr Putin, after meeting Mr Gates in the Kremlin. He noted that US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice would soon be in Moscow and that he would soon hold talks with Mr Bush too.
Mr Putin avoided any renewed criticism of the American proposals, which have been attacked repeatedly by the Kremlin and the Russian military as a pointless defence against rogue missile attacks from Iran or North Korea.
His administration has criticised the plans as an unnecessary provocation which will destabilise the balance of military power in Europe.
Newly appointed Russian defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov said the planned shield, which the US wanted to locate in Poland and the Czech Republic, would be a "serious destabilising factor".
It would include 10 interceptor missiles and new radar stations in the former Warsaw Pact countries, estimated to cost at least €3 billion.
The US defence secretary played down the apparent public rebuff. He said his meetings in private were warm and constructive and that the comments from his counterpart were prepared in advance.
Mr Gates insisted that the shield was not targeted at Russia but was to prevent rogue states in the Middle East and Asia from threatening the US or Europe.
With missile technology quickly improving, the threat from weapons of mass destruction could increase in the next decade, he said.
US diplomats said that behind closed doors, Mr Gates emphasised to Mr Putin the terms of a deal quietly announced last week to offer Russia access to data, joint scientific research and the technology linked to the system.
However, the Bush administration has said it plans to install the shield in Nato member states whether Russia approves or not.