Leaders of US and Russian armed forces hold meeting in Finland
Military chiefs discuss Georgia and US missile defence
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Leaders of the military forces of the United States and Russia met in Finland for talks on Tuesday. According to US officials, the aim of the meeting, which had been kept a secret until Tuesday, was to improve bilateral relations between the great powers.
According to the New York Times newspaper, the two sides wanted to meet on neutral soil. Taking part in the meeting was Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his Russian colleague, General Nikolai Makarov.
There was no immediate information on what was discussed at the meeting.
An anonymous US military source said that the agenda included the crisis in Georgia as well as the US missile defence system, which has strained relations between Russia and NATO.
The source said that the US hoped to assure Russia that the missile silos to be placed in Poland and the Czech Republic are aimed at Iran, and not Russia.
The meeting is the first time that Mullen and Makarov see each other face to face. When the Georgia crisis was at its hottest, the military leaders spoke by telephone.
Hosting the meeting was Finland’s Chief of Defence Juhani Kaskeala, who met the two guests for lunch. The meeting was held at the Königstedt Manor in Vantaa. The manor, which is owned by the Finnish government, is a venue for a variety of important meetings and other events. The same location was used for the peace talks for Indonesia’s Aceh Province mediated by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari.
“Finland has been given a butler’s role in this”, said an anonymous source to Helsingin Sanomat.
The meeting concluded at 2:00 PM on Tuesday.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 21.10.2008 - TODAY |
 Leaders of US and Russian armed forces hold meeting in Finland |
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