Putin slams US missile defense plan

Source: CCTV.com | 05-24-2007 12:55

Austrian foreign ministry Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin, from left, at Vienna's Schwechat airport, on Wednesday, May 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Bernhard J. Holzner/ho)

The Russian President has held a closed-door meeting with his Austrian counterpart, while on an overnight state visit to Vienna.

Talks between Vladimir Putin and Heiz Fischer focussed on the recent EU-Russian summit, as well as US plans to set up a missile defense system in eastern Europe. Putin remains fiercely critical of the US proposal. He's calling it a counterproductive move that could trigger an arms race.

The US says it plans to install a radar base in the Czech Republic and ten interceptor missiles in Poland. Moscow says such a system would serve no real purpose, but would pose a threat to Russian security.

Editor:Du Xiaodan