"We have been conducting an insufficiently intensive dialogue on security issues in Europe on the whole, and on U.S. plans to deploy its missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic in particular," Vladimir Putin's special envoy on relations with the EU, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, said at a French university.
The United States said in January it would place elements of its missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland to counter possible attacks from Iran or North Korea. Moscow has strongly criticized the move, saying it threatened Russia's security, and warned it could revise its military doctrine accordingly.
"This problem concerns not only these two countries, the U.S. and Russia, but also NATO, as well as all of Europe," Yastrzhembsky said. He said there are arguable issues in the Russia-EU dialogue, and suggested discussing them.
Thierry de Montbrial, director of the French Institute of International Relations, said many differences in Russia-West relations are ideological.
He said a strong power established itself in Russia in 2000, which reminded Western analysts of the Cold War era, and "spoiled the tone of relations."
Yastrzhembsky said he wishes the EU would play a more significant role on the international scene.
Russia's foreign minister said earlier Friday that U.S. plans to deploy air defense missiles in Europe could negatively affect Russia's relations with NATO if implemented unilaterally without Russia's involvement or any consideration of collective interests.
"We are against 'strategic games' in Europe, which could all but create a potential for confrontations and align European policies in accordance with the friend-or-foe principle," Sergei Lavrov said in a newspaper article.
