Putin, in talks with Rice, Gates, again comes out against missile defense

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the US "not to force" deployment of its missile defense system to Poland and the Czech Republic. The Russian president, in talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, indicated he would not support the United States' plan for missile defense in Europe, and threatened to abandon a key nuclear missile treaty which he called "outdated". The Czech Republic is currently in negotiations with the US on the possibility of hosting its radar system, a system to be complemented by interceptor rockets in Poland as a means of preventing attacks by so-called "rogue states". The plan to host the US base has so far received tentative backing from the Czech government.