Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich was in Washington to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the proposed U.S. missile defense shield in Poland. The two sides made progress towards a deal.

Klich said U.S. officials said they were ready to begin talks on American assistance to upgrade Poland’s air defense systems in exchange for Warsaw’s agreement to host U.S. missiles as part of a defensive shield for Europe.

Klich said earlier this month that Poland would like the United States to upgrade its air defenses with new short- and medium-range systems like the Patriot missile.

"It is an important declaration because we are still in a place where we don't see the right balance between the costs and the benefits of this installation," Klich told reporters.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said, "Because of [Poland’s special relationship with the U.S.], we believe that we can overcome whatever differences may exist on this issue very quickly." He added that Pentagon experts were reviewing Poland’s demands.

The Bush administration wants to put 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar installation in the Czech Republic as part of a wider plan to protect Europe and the U.S. from ballistic missiles from “rogue states” like Iran.

Russia is strongly opposed to the plan and Polish officials have also been discussing the issue with Moscow.