The U.S. president has told the Czech premier that Washington is abandoning the Bush administration's plans for an anti-missile radar in the country, Russia's Vesti TV channel reported on Thursday, citing Czech media. Czech officials confirmed the telephone conversation between Barack Obama and Jan Fischer late last night, the reports said. Prague is expected to issue a statement on the matter after receiving a formal document from Washington later on Thursday.

The George Bush administration sought to deploy a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of an anti-missile system, along with an interceptor missile base in Poland, as protection from potential strikes from Iran. Russia has opposed to the plans viewing them as a threat to the strategic balance of forces in Europe.