FACTBOX: Is the Cold War returning?

(Reuters) - The United States has been at loggerheads with Russia over a host of issues. Here are some details of the recent spats:

* MISSILE SHIELD: Russia's ties with the United States and the European Union have chilled amid rhetoric over issues such as missile defense.

The United States says a missile defense shield, parts of which will be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic, will protect against missile attacks launched from "rogue states" such as Iran or North Korea.

Russia says the defense shield damages Russian security and is really aimed at Russian defense capabilities.

Speaking in Prague just before the G8 summit, U.S. President George W. Bush sought to calm Russian fears and said Russian President Vladimir Putin had nothing to fear from the shield, calling it a "purely defensive" measure.

-- Russia recently test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile that officials said could pierce any missile defense system, including the planned U.S. shield in Europe.

-- Putin has said if Washington pushes ahead with its plans to deploy the missile system, Russia will revert to targeting its missiles on Europe as it did during the Cold War.

-- Moscow opposed the scheme to base 10 missile interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic from 2012 offered a counter-proposal for joint use of a radar station Moscow controls in Azerbaijan.

* KOSOVO: The province has been under U.N. administration for almost eight years, but the United States and Europeans are pushing for Kosovo's independence from Serbia. Serbia, backed by Russia, opposes a plan proposed by U.N. mediator Martti Ahtisaari offering the Albanian-majority province independence under international supervision.

-- Western powers have backed a U.N. resolution that would grant Kosovo effective independence.

Russia said on June 6 it has "firm solidarity" with Serbia on Kosovo, in a sign that Moscow was unwilling to change its stance on the Balkan province ahead of the G8 summit.

* HUMAN RIGHTS: The United States scolded Russia last month over a police crackdown on anti-Kremlin protests, as authorities detained several hundred protesters in Moscow, including former world chess champion Garry Kasparov. The United States called the response heavy-handed and said it raised new questions about Moscow's commitment to democracy.

* IRAN: The United States and Russia have appeared more united on the nuclear standoff with Iran. In a joint statement, the G8 ministers said they regretted that Iran, suspected by western nations of wanting to build a nuclear bomb, was expanding its uranium enrichment activities.