There are no negotiations on Bulgaria agreeing to host part of the United State missile shield system, although there have been "discussions" about many issues including missile defence in the context of the two countries’ partnership in Nato, US ambassador James Warlick said on February 15 2010.
 
He was speaking during an interview with Bulgarian National Television (BNT), after media reports on February 13 interpreted remarks that Warlick made to the Atlantic Club in Sofia as indicating that there were negotiations.
 
Romania earlier confirmed that it would take part in the Obama administration’s version of the missile shield, a rewrite of a plan announced under the Bush administration. The Bush-era plan was harshly criticised by Moscow as directed against Russia, and the Kremlin has been similarly unwelcoming of the new plan.
 
Speaking during the BNT interview, Warlick said that the missile defence system would directed against threats from the Middle East, and would not be directed against Russia.
 
The missile shield plan was an issue separate from talks between the White House and the Kremlin on strategic arms limitation, Warlick said.
 
According to reports of the Atlantic Club meeting, Warlick – speaking in response to a question by former foreign minister Solomon Passi – said that "unofficial talks" had been held at various levels and while there had been exchanges of information, there had not been an official approach to the Bulgarian administration.
 
On February 13, Russian newspaper Kommersant said that US president Barack Obama could personally inform his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev about possible US plans to deploy parts of the US missile shield system in Bulgaria and Romania. The two leaders are due to meet in March to sign a bilateral strategic arms limitation deal.
 
Kommersant said that statements by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, interpreted as de facto endorsement of the idea of including Bulgaria in the missile shield, did not make the foreign ministry in Moscow very happy.
 
Passi, who was Bulgaria’s foreign minister from 2001 to 2005, said that any objections by Russia to the missile shield were "not based on actual military technical data and would be politically motivated," according to a report by Bulgarian news agency BTA.
 
Earlier, Bulgarian-language mass-circulation daily 24 Chassa quoted Passi as saying: "The defence system that we are planning to build jointly with the US is not oriented against Russia at all".
 
"As a mathematician I can say something more. For purely ballistic reasons, which can be proved by simple geometrical calculations, the missile system cannot be applied against Russia," Passi said.