MOSCOW — America will court Russian displeasure today when President Bush meets his Polish counterpart in Washington to discuss a deal to build a missile defense shield in central Europe. The discussions mark the start of a testy week in already sour East-West relations. The U.N. Security Council is expected to debate a resolution on Kosovo’s future while Britain is set to unveil its response to Moscow’s refusal to extradite a suspect wanted for the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian defector.

President Kaczynski is seeking last-minute concessions from the White House in exchange for agreeing to host 10 interceptor missiles that will form an integral element of the missile shield. The Czech Republic has already agreed to station the radar component of the system and Poland is expected to give its formal acquiescence in the autumn. The talks will infuriate President Putin of Russia, who has strenuously opposed placing the shield in the two former Warsaw Pact countries.

Moscow believes the shield’s true purpose is to undermine Russia’s nuclear deterrent rather than, as Washington insists, to counter a nuclear strike by Iran. On Saturday, Mr. Putin carried out a threat to pull Russia out of a key military treaty signed at the end of the Cold War that is regarded as the cornerstone of peace in Europe.

America is showing increasing frustration at Russian intransigence over several issues. Over the weekend, Washington threatened to override the Security Council and set Kosovo on the road to statehood if Russia vetoed a resolution on the provinces future.

Further East-West tension is expected when a response to Russia’s refusal to hand over Andrei Lugovoi, wanted for the murder of Litvinenko, his fellow ex-KGB officer, is announced in the House of Commons this week.

The expulsion of Russian diplomats could follow.