Obama: US, Russia to work on missile defense

President Barack Obama said Thursday the US and Russia are committed to finding an approach that meets the security needs of both countries on the contentious issue of American plans to build a missile defense shield in Central and Eastern Europe.

The United States says its missile defense plans are aimed at countering emerging threats from countries including Iran and North Korea, but Russia views the moves as possible encroachment.

For his part Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the future of missile defense would be solved by future politicians - perhaps in the year 2020 - but that he and Obama can help lay the foundation now.

Meeting on the sidelines of an economic summit in France, the leaders agreed missile defense is a sensitive issue and suggested it remains so in their relationship. While they agreed to work on it, they showed no signs of reaching an understanding. Obama wore a stern look when the men spoke to reporters.

Medvedev has warned that failure to cooperate with Moscow on the shield could spark a new arms race. The issue has increasingly been an irritant as the two leaders have worked to improve relations between their countries.