Bush says Russia not a threat to Europe

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, June 6 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said today that Russia did not pose a threat to Europe despite a vow to target the continent if the U.S. deploys a missile shield in central Europe.

''Russia is not going to attack Europe,'' Bush told reporters at the start of a G8 summit on the Baltic coast.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will come face to face with Bush at the summit, has said Russia will resume its Cold War stance of targeting its missiles at Europe if Washington goes ahead with a planned missile shield on Russia's borders.

Asked if the US military should respond in some way to Putin's warning, Bush said that was not needed because: ''Russia is not an enemy'' Responding to a question about whether his meeting with Putin in Heiligendamm would be tense, Bush said: ''I'll work to see to it, that it's not (tense).'' Washington wants to site elements of its planned missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. It says the systems are needed to defend against possible missile attacks from what it calls ''rogue states'' such as Iran and North Korea.

The Kremlin is fiercely opposed to the plan, saying the shield upsets the global strategic balance. Putin has voiced suspicions that the project is really targeted at Russia.

Differences over the dispute have brought US-Russian relations to their lowest point in years and could overshadow a G8 summit intended to focus on climate change and aid to Africa.

REUTERS KN ND1742