After meeting U.S. President George W. Bush for bilateral talks at a Group of Eight summit, Putin said: "We have a mutual understanding of common threats, but we also have disagreements over how we can counter and prevent these threats."
"If we work together on countering the threats that we discussed today, while considering our mutual concerns, and if we make this work transparent and ensure an access to this [radar] system, then we will certainly have no concerns," the Russian leader said.
Putin offered the United States the joint use of a radar installation in Azerbaijan in an apparent attempt to ease tensions sparked by Washington's plans to deploy elements of missile shield in Europe. The meeting in Germany's Baltic resort of Heiligendamm was the leaders' first since Washington announced the planned missile shield.
"We have thoroughly studied the U.S. [missile defense] proposals. We have our own ideas and I have explained them to the U.S. president," Putin said.
"The first idea is to jointly use a radar that Russia leases from Azerbaijan in Gabala," he said, adding that the joint use of the Gabala radar would allow Russia to avoid aiming its missiles at Europe.
"It [the joint use of the radar] will eliminate the need to place our missile complexes near the border with European countries, and at the same time avoid placing U.S. missiles in outer space," Putin said.
A senior U.S. official called the Russian proposal an interesting idea and said Washington was willing to study it.
