The United States will not allow Russia to veto its plans to build a missile defence shield in Europe, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during a visit to Moscow today.
Vladimir Putin welcomes Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to a meeting outside Moscow today. Image: Reuters.
"The United States needs to be able to move forward to use technology to defend itself and we're going to do that," she told reporters after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has strongly attacked the US plan, which aims to use warning radar and rockets to intercept hostile missiles, as a threat to its own national security.
The issues is among those souring bilateral ties, and Rice's visit was intended to help patch up relations.
Anti-Western remarks from Moscow have evoked memories of the Cold War, capped by a speech by Putin last week commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany, when Russian media said he was comparing US foreign policy to that of the Third Reich.
Rice said after meeting Putin at his residence near Moscow that "the rhetoric is not helpful; it is disturbing to Americans who are trying to do our best to maintain an even relationship".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed, telling reporters Putin had "supported the American side's understanding that it's necessary to tone down the rhetoric in public statements and concentrate on concrete business".
Business leaders fear the war of words could affect booming trade and investment between Russia and the West.
Russia's economy, fuelled by strong energy and metals exports, is offering big opportunities for Western companies.