Russia warns NATO about missile shield

Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193067.html

Russia has warned the United States and its NATO allies against plans to extend the deployment of missile defense systems in the north European waters, calling them provocative.

At a Tuesday press conference in Norway, Russia's ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin slammed the alliance's failure to guarantee that American warships equipped with anti-missile systems would not be deployed in the waters of north Europe, AFP reported.

"The very fact of deploying US military missile defense infrastructure in the northern seas is a real provocation with regard to the process of nuclear disarmament," said Rogozin.

Moscow fears that the anti-missile system would undermine its nuclear deterrent, and thus has been seeking legally binding guarantees to check it.

"Why is no one giving guarantees that a US fleet equipped with Aegis interceptor systems won't be deployed in the northern seas?" he added.

The Russian government has long opposed NATO's disputed plan of deploying an anti-missile shield in Europe, arguing that the would-be system in its "back yard” is not to secure Washington's European allies but is effectively aimed at Russia.

"I'm sure that if there were no such plans in reality, then I would have been given a very definite negative answer. I didn't get any firm answer to this question," the Russian envoy pointed out.

Moscow has also called for sharing control of any anti-missile shield, saying the aim of the so-called defense shield is to encircle Russia. Washington refuses to share the responsibility for protecting NATO member states with any third party.

NATO officials estimate that the missile shield project will not be completed before 2018.

NATO rejects Russian missile proposal

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/183607.html

NATO has flatly turned down a Russian proposal on the Western military alliance's plans to deploy a disputed missile system in Eastern Europe.

Moscow has indicated its willingness to drop its opposition to the installation of the missile system if NATO provides legal guarantees that the missiles would not be used against Russia.

"The most promising path towards greater trust is more discussion, more political debate and exchange,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in an interview with Interfax news agency released on Tuesday, AFP reported.

Rasmussen ruled out “complicated legal formulas which would be difficult to agree on and ratify” between the NATO member states and the Kremlin.

The refusal comes ahead of a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels on Wednesday where Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov will seek to convince his Western counterparts to sign a legally binding cooperation treaty.

Moscow wants details about the maximum amount and types of interceptor missiles, their speed as well as locations for missiles and radars to be specified in the treaty.

In 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev talked with NATO leaders at a summit in Lisbon, Portugal, in a landmark meeting held to end long-standing hostilities between the two sides.

But the Western bloc rejected Medvedev's idea of dividing the European continent into sectors of military responsibility, insisting the two sides should keep their systems separate.

In his Interfax interview, Rasmussen reiterated that the two sides should not merge their systems.

"The reason is simple -- NATO cannot outsource to non-members collective defense obligations which bind its members," he argued.

Rasmussen, however, stressed that NATO's eastward expansion did not threaten Russia's interests, but on the contrary "the process itself has been beneficial to Euro-Atlantic security, including that of the Russian Federation."

"I can also assure you -- and I have said it publicly on many occasions -- that NATO will never attack Russia and we are convinced that Russia sees the alliance in the same light," he said.

Russia warns west of new Cold War

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180571.html

Russia has warned the West of another Cold War if it fails to acknowledge the country's concerns regarding a planned missile system based in Europe.

On Wednesday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that his country would take “retaliatory measures” if the United States would continue with the construction of the so-called missile defense system, AFP reported.

“We [Russia] would then be talking about developing the offensive potential of our nuclear capabilities; this would be a very bad scenario. It would be a scenario that throws us back into the Cold War era,” the Russian president said during a press conference.

Medvedev warned of an early pull out from the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), if the deployment of the missile shield would go forward in the absence of Russia.

Moscow's primary concern is that the missile system would be used against Russia rather than countering incoming missiles, as claimed by the US.

"We would like to see missile defense develop under clear rules," said Medvedev.

Moscow has long opposed the deployment of NATO missile facilities, calling it, a security threat.

Despite asking Russia to express its concerns regarding the missile shield at the meeting, NATO has denied Russia's formal role in the operation of the missile plans.

Even though Russia considers the US missile plans as a potential threat to its security, it has agreed to consider NATO's proposal to cooperate on the missile shield but insists that the system should be run jointly. NATO has rejected the Russian proposal.

The START has helped improve relations between Moscow and Washington, but Russia continues to view US missile plans with suspicion.

Russia warns US over missile system

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180228.html

Russia has warned that it reserves the right to pull out of the new START arms reduction treaty as the US has not provided guarantees over its missile shield in Europe.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday that Russia was concerned about the US refusal to provide legally binding guarantees that its missile system would not threaten Russia's security.

"The Americans are insisting on the importance of launching practical cooperation without any preconditions," he was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

He added that Russia "cannot start cooperation on specific projects without legal guarantees that a future system will not be directed against our security interests."

"The new START [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] may become hostage to the US approach," Ryabkov told lawmakers during parliamentary hearings.

He said that Moscow was disappointed by a negative US reaction to its demand.

Russia, which considers the US missile plans as a potential threat to its security, has agreed to consider NATO's proposal to cooperate on the missile shield, but insisted that the system should be run jointly. NATO has rejected Russia's demand.

A landmark arms control treaty called new START has helped improve relations between Moscow and Washington, but Russia continues to view US missile plans with suspicion.

Russia warns US, Romania over base

Romania has agreed to host US missile interceptors on Romanian territory

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178355.html

Russia has issued a warning after Romania agreed to host the US missile system site at a Soviet-built base in the country's southern town of Deveselu.

Moscow warned that the deployment of US interceptor missiles on Romanian territory comes without considering the talks between Moscow and Washington on the issue.

Earlier in the week, the US and Romania announced that elements of US missile system would be stationed at the former Romanian airbase of Deveselu.

Russia said that the planned missile system "may pose risks for Russian strategic nuclear deterrence forces in the future," Russia Today reported on Wednesday.

“We regret to say that practical steps on building the European segment of the US global missile defense system are being made regardless of the Russian-US dialogue on missile-defense issues, which was launched under the initiative of President Dmitry Medvedev and President Barack Obama,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

It said Washington continues to implement “the phased adaptive approach” toward building a segment of the US global missile system in Europe.

Washington announced these plans back on September 17, 2009.

Russia had warned earlier that it would take “adequate measures” if the US and NATO choose to build the European missile system without Moscow's participation.

US Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher, however, said on Wednesday that the missile system posed no threat to Russia.

“It is a system that will defend NATO and, if Russia chooses to work with us in a cooperative manner, the system will defend Russia, too," she said.

"We have good relations with Russia. We have just ratified the New START treaty, we are working together on various other issues," she told Romanian lawmakers.

Tauscher is scheduled to meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Thursday.

Russia was not the only one caught off-guard by the surprise announcement of the US-Romanian decision. Reports say that Romanian officials were also unaware of the decision and the Romanian media kept mum on the issue until President Traian Basescu announced it on Tuesday night.

'Russia against NATO missile proposal'

Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166590.html

Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin says Moscow is against the alliance's proposal to set up two different missile systems, the NATO system and the Russian system.

The United States and Russia have been at loggerheads over a new anti-ballistic missile system for Europe, with Moscow calling for a shared control of the system, and Washington refusing to share the responsibility for protecting its member-states with any third party, a Press TV correspondent in Moscow reported Tuesday.

NATO favors two separate but coordinated missile defense systems, which include the NATO and Russian systems. However, Moscow insists on a European system together with the alliance, with joint centers for detecting threats and a joint decision-making procedure.

Meanwhile, Rogozin, who has recently been appointed as the Kremlin's special representative for missile defense talks with NATO member-states, frowned upon the idea on Tuesday.

"Russia should either join the European missile defense system, or receive guarantees that this system will be no threat to its strategic interests," he stated.

The Russian envoy further noted that Moscow sees no missile threats in northern Europe, and the two sides regard each other as potential threats, and that would prevent the cooperation from going forward.

"NATO and Russia must negotiate and agree to give up military planning against each other. This fundamental deal will lift all other problems," Rogozin added.

US President Barack Obama, on the other hand, has vehemently rejected shared control of the missile system on the grounds that it would give Russia responsibility for protecting NATO from nuclear missile threats.

The two sides have agreed to formulate terms for cooperation by June as a special group under Rogozin is set to be formed to coordinate missile defense talks with NATO.

Moscow is fiercely opposed to the deployment of the alliance's missile systems near its borders, saying it would threaten its national security and destroy the strategic balance of forces in Europe.

Kremlin has warned if NATO ploughs ahead with its plans and no agreement is reached with Moscow, it would develop its own missile systems.

Russia warns US on altering missile shield plans

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122602&sectionid=351020602

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has underlined Moscow's right to walk out of a nuclear disarmament treaty with the US should Washington alter its so-called missile shield defense system.

"Russia has the right to withdraw from the strategic nuclear weapons treaty if a quantitative and qualitative increase in US strategic missile defense significantly influences the effectiveness of Russian strategic nuclear forces," Lavrov stressed on Tuesday.

Earlier, the foreign minister said that the revised US plans, which comprise of sea-based interceptors and shorter range land-based missiles, pose no threat to the country's strategic interests or nuclear forces in their current form.

Lavrov's comments come ahead of the signing of a successor to the START I strategic arms reduction treaty that expired on December 5.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama will meet on Thursday to pen the new accord in the Czech capital, Prague.

The missile shield system, introduced under former US president George W. Bush, came at a time when diplomatic relations between the two nuclear powers were at their post-Cold War record low.

However, amid bilateral efforts to rebuild trust, the Obama administration shelved the former plans that envisaged land-based missile systems in ex-Soviet states.