Russian officials don't think a proposed European missile defense plan is deadlocked, UPI cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich as saying Thursday. Acknowledging the matter was touchy, Lukashevich said diplomacy helps ensure discussions about the controversial proposal moves forward, RIA Novosti reported. "There cannot be deadlocked situations; there is diplomacy to see to that, but the situation is not an easy one," Lukashevich told reporters in Moscow. Officials have said the projected 400 interceptor missiles on 40 warships, plus a missile site in Poland, poses a threat to Russia's strategic nuclear forces, and Moscow wants legally binding guarantees that the defense system would not be directed against Russia.
