Reuters reports:

The United States is ready to look at re-modeling its missile defense plans to include Moscow, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Friday in a concession to Russian opposition.

The Kremlin has been pressing Washington to give ground on the proposed missile shield in exchange for Russia helping supply the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan — a priority for new President Barack Obama.

“(Washington is) open to the possibility of cooperation, both with Russia and NATO partners, in relation to a new configuration for missile defense which would use the resources that each of us have,” Interfax news agency quoted U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns as saying.

The Obama administration has said it will press on with the missile shield plan, but only if it is proven to work and is cost-effective — a qualification seen in Moscow as a sign Washington is ready to compromise.

Are we really about to let our missile defense priorities become dependent on Russia? The same Russia that has repeatedly held the entire European continent hostage using their dependence on Russian natural gas supplies? The same Russia that has intimidated and invaded former Soviet states of Eurasia?

Cooperation with Russia is fine. But making both our missile defense and Afghanistan policies dependent on them only makes us more vulnerable.