Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. plans to deploy a missile- defense shield in Europe are a ``provocation'' to Russia, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said.

``Let's be straight: we believe there have been provocations toward Russia with the plan to place missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic,'' he said during a joint news conference today in Izmir, Turkey, with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Barack Obama's office said on Nov. 8 the U.S. president- elect had made ``no commitment'' to the planned missile-defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. Russia has warned that the proposed shield, which the U.S. says is necessary to protect against attack by ``rogue states'' such as Iran, would threaten its security and wants Obama to reconsider the plans.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said his threat last week to deploy short-range Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian region wedged between Poland and Lithuania, was a ``proportionate'' response to the ``unilateral'' U.S. missile- shield project promoted by President George W. Bush.

The dispute has contributed to a post-Cold War low in U.S.- Russian ties. Berlusconi said yesterday that U.S. recognition of Kosovo's independence and support for Georgia's bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are also ``provocations.''

``Obama's reflection on the missile bases in Europe is important because clearly there already has been Russia's response,'' Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in a Bloomberg Television interview on Nov. 11. ``We cannot do without Russia. We cannot conceive of a new Cold War. We have to imagine, like Obama said, a security framework that can offer guarantees for all of us.''

Italy takes over the Group of Eight presidency next year and Berlusconi, who is heading it for the third time, has said he wants to act as a mediator between the U.S. and Russia and dilute tensions.

To contact the reporter on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in Rome at fjackson@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 13, 2008 06:32 EST