BRUSSELS. June 13 (Interfax) - NATO members found interesting Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal on integrating the Gabala radar station, which Russia leases in Azerbaijan, into the U.S. and NATO missile defense system, a high-ranking U.S. diplomat at NATO told Interfax.

The Gabala radar proposal will be discussed at a meeting of NATO defense ministers and at a NATO-Russia Council ministerial meeting in Brussels on June 14, the diplomat said. However, until experts thoroughly analyzed the proposal, it remains too early to say how it could influence U.S. plans to deploy elements of a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, he said.

Anyway, by making the proposal to cooperate in the use of the Gabala radar station, Putin has admitted the existence of a missile threat and the need for a missile defense system and made it clear that Russia could cooperate with the U.S. in this area, which is good news, he said.