U.S. And Russian Military Counterparts Sign Secret Document

In a visit by Russian Deputy Defense Minister, Yury Baluyevsky to the U.S. this week, the Russian official signed a little known defense cooperation agreement with U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen. Not all the details are known due the nature of the agreement, but it likely signals some small step to paper over the worsening relations between Russia and the U.S. which continue to become rivals on many issues.

The military cooperation document could also signal some attempt to quell down any concerns over proposed U.S. defensive missile sites in Eastern European nations or other areas that have raised Russian concerns as well. Russia continues to be concerned with any American military plans to deploy missile interceptor systems in both Poland and in the Czech Republic. But at the same time, the Russian Deputy Defense Minister expressed concerns that the U.S. is still determined to deploy the new defense systems and signaled that there is little to really discuss if the U.S. continues with the program.