Washington is planning to go ahead with its missile defence system plans despite Moscow's objections and its costs are already included in next year's military budget, the US assistant secretary of state said during a visit to Azerbaijan.
"The defence budget does include missile defence, and I am happy to report there is growing support by partners supporting the American Congress for missile defence and there is growing support in the NATO" military bloc, Daniel Fried said late Monday.
Fried added however that Washington was planning to join forces with Moscow to boost "our security capabilities" and suggested that Azerbaijan could be part of those negotiations.
Russia sees the US missile defence plans as a military encroachment in its former sphere of influence that could be turned against Russia's own nuclear deterrence.
But Washington insists it poses no threat to Russia, only to a possible missile threat from Iran.
The US plans call for installing a powerful targeting radar in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland by 2012.
During a visit to Moscow last month, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented Russian President Vladimir Putin with ideas for integrating Russia into a broad European missile defense system.
Russian Defence Minister Viktor Serdyukov has said that the US proposals were not enough to satisfy Russian concerns.
