Russia raises the ante on missile defense
Source: Agencies |
May 4, 2012, Friday
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RUSSIA'S top military officer has threatened to deal a pre-emptive strike on US-led NATO missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe if Washington goes ahead with its controversial missile defense plan.
President Dmitry Medvedev said last year Russia will retaliate militarily if it does not reach agreement with the United States and NATO. Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov yesterday raised the ante in the missile defense controversy.
"A decision to use destructive force preemptively will be taken if the situation worsens," the chief of general staff said.
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov also warned yesterday that talks between Moscow and Washington on the US-led NATO missile defense plan in Europe are "close to a dead end."
Moscow rejects Washington's claim that the plan is solely to deal with any Iranian missile threat and has voiced fears it will eventually become powerful enough to undermine Russia's nuclear deterrent.
Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev reiterated Moscow's offer to run the missile shield together with NATO yesterday, the start of a two-day conference with representatives from about 50 countries.
He said such a jointly run European missile defense system "could strengthen security of every single country of the continent" and "would be adequate to possible threats and will not deter strategic security."
NATO has said it wants to cooperate with Russia on the missile shield, but the alliance has rejected Moscow's proposal to run it jointly.
NATO's deputy secretary general, Alexander Vershbow, told the conference that the US-led missile shield is "not and will not be directed against Russia" and that its intercontinental ballistic missiles are "too fast and too sophisticated" for the planned system to intercept.
The conference in Moscow is the last major Russia-US meeting about military issues before a NATO summit in Chicago later this month. Russia hasn't said whether it will send top officials there.
Without a NATO-Russia cooperation deal, the Kremlin has sought guarantees from the US that any future missile defense is not aimed at Russia as well as threatening to retaliate if no such deal is negotiated.
US missile defense plans in Europe have been one of the touchiest subjects in US-Russian relations going back to the administration of President Barack Obama's predecessor George W. Bush.
The Obama administration tried in 2009 to ease tensions with Russia by saying it would revamp Bush's plan to emphasize shorter-range interceptors. Russia initially welcomed that move, but has more recently suggested that the new interceptors could threaten its missiles as the US interceptors are upgraded.
President Dmitry Medvedev said last year Russia will retaliate militarily if it does not reach agreement with the United States and NATO. Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov yesterday raised the ante in the missile defense controversy.
"A decision to use destructive force preemptively will be taken if the situation worsens," the chief of general staff said.
Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov also warned yesterday that talks between Moscow and Washington on the US-led NATO missile defense plan in Europe are "close to a dead end."
Moscow rejects Washington's claim that the plan is solely to deal with any Iranian missile threat and has voiced fears it will eventually become powerful enough to undermine Russia's nuclear deterrent.
Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev reiterated Moscow's offer to run the missile shield together with NATO yesterday, the start of a two-day conference with representatives from about 50 countries.
He said such a jointly run European missile defense system "could strengthen security of every single country of the continent" and "would be adequate to possible threats and will not deter strategic security."
NATO has said it wants to cooperate with Russia on the missile shield, but the alliance has rejected Moscow's proposal to run it jointly.
NATO's deputy secretary general, Alexander Vershbow, told the conference that the US-led missile shield is "not and will not be directed against Russia" and that its intercontinental ballistic missiles are "too fast and too sophisticated" for the planned system to intercept.
The conference in Moscow is the last major Russia-US meeting about military issues before a NATO summit in Chicago later this month. Russia hasn't said whether it will send top officials there.
Without a NATO-Russia cooperation deal, the Kremlin has sought guarantees from the US that any future missile defense is not aimed at Russia as well as threatening to retaliate if no such deal is negotiated.
US missile defense plans in Europe have been one of the touchiest subjects in US-Russian relations going back to the administration of President Barack Obama's predecessor George W. Bush.
The Obama administration tried in 2009 to ease tensions with Russia by saying it would revamp Bush's plan to emphasize shorter-range interceptors. Russia initially welcomed that move, but has more recently suggested that the new interceptors could threaten its missiles as the US interceptors are upgraded.
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