The US views Russian threats to place tactical missiles in the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad as provocative and misguided, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday.

Russia made the move in response to US plans for a missile defence system in Europe, which Moscow sees as a threat to its security. Washington says the system is needed against missile strikes from what it terms rogue states, notably Iran.

Mr Gates, speaking after a Nato meeting with Ukraine, said the Russian threats were "hardly the welcome a new American administration deserved", referring to the fact they were made immediately after Barack Obama won the Presidential election.

"Such provocative remarks are unnecessary and misguided," Mr Gates told a news conference in the Estonian capital Tallinn.

At the same time, Washington would continue to seek a constructive and positive relationship with Russia, he said.

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