The United States have handed Russia new proposals on the planned missile defense shield deployment in Central Europe, a Russian deputy foreign minister confirmed Wednesday.

"The proposals have been received and are being studied," Sergei Kislyak was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

Talks between top Russian and US diplomats and defense ministers have failed to reach a compromise on US plans to deploy missile shield components in Central Europe, which were rejected by Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the United States reaffirmed its intention to build a missile shield in Central Europe after the one-day 2-plus-2 talks in Moscow that involved his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Rice told a press conference after the talks that the United States brought about some proposals on the missile shield and is looking forward to experts' opinions and Moscow's reply.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2008)