US President-elect Obama denied that he had promised to go ahead with the missile shield project

This follows a minor controversy caused when an officer in the Chancellery of President Lech Kaczyński briefed the press on a phone call between Kaczyński and Obama. The Polish president congratulated the new US president-elect, and, according to the official and a description posted on the president's website, was reassured that the proposed missile shield would be installed as planned. However, this was quickly termed as a misinterpretation by one of the Polish president's aides and the US president-elect's staff issued a denial.

"President Kaczyński raised [the issue of] missile defense, but president-elect Obama made no commitment to it," Denis McDonough, Obama's senior foreign policy advisor, said in a statement.

According to the AP, US Vice President-elect Joe Biden told President Kaczyński in a second phone call last week that the incoming administration would assess George W. Bush's missile defense plans before making a decision. However, Biden assured Polish officials that the US is willing to continue its close military and political cooperation.

After Obama won the US elections, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he planned to deploy missile systems in Kaliningrad, near Poland's border, in retaliation for US plans to install its missile shield in Central Europe. However, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro last week, Medvedev said that Russia could cancel its deployment of missiles near the Polish border if Obama scraps plans for the missile shield.

Also, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini suggested in La Republica that the Obama administration should sacrifice the location of the missile defense shield in Poland and the CzechRepublic for the sake of good relations with Russia.

The agreement to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland was signed this summer. Analysts believe no major change in US policy regarding the missile shield should be expected in an Obama administration.