In other G8 news, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprise counterproposal in the standoff over U.S. plans to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe. On Thursday, Putin said the U.S. and Russia should station a radar in Azerbaijan for a missile shield that would cover all of Europe. Putin has been fiercely critical of U.S. plans to host sites in the Czech Republic and Poland. Some analysts described Putin’s offer as a bluff to deter the existing U.S. proposals.