Russia says split with NATO on missile shield, Kosovo

MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) Russia and NATO remain split over US plans for missile defence and Kosovo independence, a senior Russian official said today as President Vladimir Putin prepared to meet the alliance's secretary-general.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer that ''hard work'' lay ahead in Moscow talks over US plans for a missile defence shield in Europe and the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty.

''The positions of Russia and the countries of NATO are still not very close - the problem of anti-missile defence, the problem of the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty and the problem of Kosovo,'' Lavrov told reporters.

Russia's ties with the United States and the European Union have chilled amid a barrage of rhetoric over issues such as missile defence, Kosovo and accusations Russia uses its giant energy resources to bring neighbours to heel.

NATO is still viewed with great suspicion in Russia, where officials say expansion westwards shows that the alliance is being used by the United States and top European powers to counter Russian influence.

''We need more investment I think in the NATO-Russian relationship. We no longer look back but we look ahead,'' de Hoop Scheffer said, flanked by Lavrov.

The US says the shield, parts of which will be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic, will defend against missiles launched from ''rogue states'' such as Iran or North Korea.

Russia says the defence shield damages Russian security and is really aimed at Russian defence capabilities.

Putin said in April that Russia was suspending its obligations under the CFE treaty in a move he linked to US plans for a missile defence shield in Europe.

Russian officials warn of a confrontation over Kosovo as Western powers push for independence, which Russia has opposed.

Reuters AK VV1625