US President Barack Obama and his Nato allies opened a pivotal summit yesterday, vowing to cede command of the Afghan war to Kabul by 2014 and erect an anti-missile shield over Europe.

A commitment to a new anti-missile system protecting soldiers and civilians across Europe is the big news from this ­meeting. Leaders will set-up a network of radars and interceptors to form an anti-ballistic missile shield in the skies over Europe, and overcoming Russian concerns by inviting them to take part.

Russia had formerly been fiercely critical of US missile plans, but the leaders hope Mr Medvedev can be won over in discussions with Nato, the first encounter at this level since Moscow waged a war in Georgia in 2008.

Before leaving Moscow, the Russian party said that it was keen to share ideas about common missile defence but played down the chances of a major decision realigning the continent’s security.

“During his address, President Medvedev will voice a number of ideas about how we shall build cooperation in the missile defence sphere in the coming years,” said Mr Medvedev’s top foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko.

As another Nato soldier fell to an Afghan bomb attack, taking the toll for this year to 654, leaders began two days of talks in Lisbon planning to start bringing home troops and prepare a defence against any new foes.

More than 2,200 Allied troops have been killed in a nine-year-old war, launched by the US after the September 11, 2001 attacks to root out Al-Qaeda leaders and overthrow their Taliban protectors.

And, in a sign that fighting may be about to get even fiercer, US Marines are about to deploy powerful M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to the front line for the first time in the lengthy conflict.In an op-ed for several European newspapers, Mr Obama said Washington would start to reduce its troop numbers in Afghanistan in July next year, but pledged that “as Afghans stand up and take the lead, they will not stand alone.”

The Lisbon summit has three distinct stages.

First, the 28 Nato powers met to thrash out their own strategic goals and agree a plan on missile defence. Then, they will be joined by Mr Karzai and the other allies who make up the 48-strong coalition in Afghanistan.

Finally, allied leaders will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for the first Nato-Russia summit since 2002.