"You know that in early July [Vladimir] Putin will visit the United States, and there, I hope, the American side will officially announce its opinion, its decision on the proposal, and after that, consultations can be launched," Yury Baluyevsky told journalists.
At talks with U.S. President George Bush during the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, Friday, Putin suggested that the U.S. use the Gabala radar Russia leases from Azerbaijan instead of deploying missile defense elements in Central Europe.
The U.S. announced in January plans to deploy an early-warning radar in the Czech Republic and a missile interceptor base in Poland as part of its Central European missile shield.
Despite repeated U.S. assurances that the missile shield would be directed against unpredictable states such as Iran and North Korea, the Russian president reiterated at a news conference Friday that Moscow is convinced that the plans "undermine the security of Russia and its citizens."
Putin said earlier that if Washington accepts its offer, Russia would not be forced to deploy its own missiles in its European exclave of Kaliningrad, or move its missiles closer to Russia's western borders.
The Gabala radar, located near the town of Minchegaur, 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the capital Baku, was leased to Russia for 10 years in 2002.
The radar has been operational since early 1985. With a range of 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles), it is the most powerful in the region and can detect any missile launches in Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa.
Under current agreements, the radar, Russia's only military facility in Azerbaijan, cannot be put into full combat mode without Baku's consent. Its status has been a source of environmental and other concerns in recent years.
In an interview with the Associated Press Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared to throw cold water on Putin's proposal, saying the U.S. would continue its talks with Poland and the Czech Republic on its missile shield plans regardless of whether negotiations begin on the Russian offer.
