"We want to explore the possibility of linking NATO's missile defense shield with Russia's, at an appropriate time in the future," Rasmussen said on Friday in Brussels, "I do believe that it is possible for NATO and Russia to make a new beginning and to enjoy a far more productive relationship in the future."

He emphasized that neither the political nor the technological pre-conditions for the proposed fusion exist yet, but said his suggestion was meant to send "a clear political signal" to Moscow.

The USA's decades-old intention to station defensive rockets in Poland and the Czech Republic has been a persistent strain on its relations with Russia, which had seen the plan as a direct threat.

But after initial enthusiasm in Russia over Obama's announcement on Thursday, from President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and elements of the Russian military, some Russian politicians have begun to voice skepticism about Obama's professed plan to "reset" relations with Moscow.

Russian reservations

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov aired his suspicion to newspaper Kommersant that the US would now expect Moscow not to export any missile defense system to Iran, and would support UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran.

Lavrov underlined his view that Russia did not owe the US any "gifts", and ruled out what he called "horse-trading". Prime Minister Putin also called on Obama to back up the new conciliation by lifting bans on trading high technology with Russia.

"I expect that after this correct and brave decision, others will follow, including the complete removal of all restrictions on the transfer of high technology to Russia, and new initiatives to widen the membership of the World Trade Organisation to include Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus," Putin said.

Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, also warned that Russia would not become complacent in the new spirit of global detente, pointing out that the US could still install a more effective missile defense system on a network of warships. According to Rogozin, scrapping plans to put missile silos in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic did not mean that the US was abandoning its military ambitions.

Medvedev said that instead of offering the US some kind of compensation, Russia would be ready to work with Europe and the US as equal partners on a Euro-Atlantic security network. Medvedev intends to discuss this possibilty with Obama in the coming week in New York.

Medvedev also warned that Russia would not be prepared to make other concessions to the US, such as ending its military cooperation with the governments of Cuba or Venezuela, or giving up its resistance to NATO plans to accept Georgia and Ukraine as members.

Despite these reservations, Rogozin indicated that Russia would not go ahead with plans to deploy medium-range missiles in Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian enclave on the Baltic coast which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania.

"I hope you can understand our logic ... if we have no radars or no missiles in the Czech Republic and Poland, we don't need to find some response," he said.

German politicians react on the campaign trail

There has been universally positive reaction to Obama's announcement amongst German politicians, currently in the final stages of a general election campaign. The leaders of both governing parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), welcomed the US initiative enthusiastically, but took some flak from opposition parties.

Juergen Trittin, main candidate for the Green party, called the scrapping of the US shield "a slap in the face" for Merkel, who had consistently supported the plan when it was the declared policy of the previous US president George W. Bush.

However, the leader of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), Guido Westerwelle, said that the move would provide "additional trust internationally". If Merkel's CDU wins the election and joins forces with the FDP as junior coalition partner, Westerwelle can expect to become Germany's next foreign minister.

Bk/dpa/ap/Reuters

Editor: Susan Houlton