Russia to respond to threats from US system: military

AFP
Tuesday May 08, 2007

Russia will respond to any threat from the US missile defence system to be deployed in central Europe, the Russian army's chief of staff said on Monday.

"If we see that these installations, which could be set up in Europe, represent a threat, then we will definitely plan actions against them," Yury Baluyevsky told reporters in Moscow, Interfax news agency reported.

Russia will take "corresponding measures" if the US missiles and radar are deployed in Poland and Czech Republic as planned, Baluyevsky was quoted as saying, without giving further details.

Moscow, which has been increasingly vocal in its public criticism of US policy in recent weeks, says the shield poses a strategic threat by undermining its own missile deterrence capabilities.

Washington says the anti-missile shield, which would not be operational before 2012, is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles that could in the future be fired by Iran or other "rogue states."

Also Monday, the head of Russia's strategic missile forces, Nikolai Solovtsov, threatened an "adequate response" against the US defence system, Interfax said.

"If the US does take the decision... then the Strategic Rocket Forces can take adequate measures to offset the threat that could arise for the Russian Federation," Solovtsov was quoted as saying.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said earlier that the proposed European base would be far too limited in size and capability to affect Russia's massive ballistic missile arsenal.