Russia Issues Threat Over U.S. Missile Defense Plan

Russia yesterday suggested that it might respond to U.S. plans to deploy missile defenses in Europe by deploying new missiles in the western Russia, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, July 3).

Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov urged the United States to accept a Russian proposal for a joint missile defense installation (see GSN, June 19).  He said, however, that repercussions might follow if the United States ignored Russian concerns.

“If our proposal is accepted, then we will have no need to deploy new weapons including missiles in the European part of Russia, including Kaliningrad, in order to parry the threats that could arise — and they definitely will arise — if a decision is made to deploy a missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland,” Ivanov said in a televised statement.

“If our proposal is not accepted, we will take adequate measures,” Ivanov added.  “We are already taking them; an asymmetrical and effective response has been found” (see GSN, May 29; Associated Press/Baltimore Sun, July 5).

Plans to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic also face strong opposition in the U.S. Congress, the Washington Post reported today.

The U.S. Senate next week is expected to approve cutting funds for the project from the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill.  The House has already rejected $40 million that would have been used for construction at the Polish interceptor site.

The Senate Armed Services Committee said it favored providing funding for the project only after Washington and Moscow had concluded talks on the matter, the Post reported.

The director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency told the committee recently that Iran is expected to have develop a long-range ballistic missile between 2010 and 2015.  U.S. missile defenses in Europe would not be ready until 2011 or 2012.

“What we’re trying to do is stay ahead of what we believe to be an emerging threat,” said Lt. Gen. Henry Obering (see GSN, June 22).

The Senate committee, in its report on the defense bill, questioned the timeline of the Iranian threat, according to the Post.  Moreover, the panel noted that NATO “has not endorsed or rejected the proposed deployment.”  Washington could end up paying $4 billion through fiscal 2013 for the European system.

Talks with the Polish and Czech governments about the system are in the early stages.  “These negotiations may not be concluded before the end of this year, and then would have to be ratified by the parliaments of each nation,” the panel said.

Local groups in Poland and the Czech Republic have also decried the antimissile system.  Tomas Klvana, Czech special envoy for missile defense, acknowledged the grass-roots opposition.

“We have some catching up to do,” Klvana told reporters in Washington.  “We have given a free ride to the people opposed” (Walter Pincus, Washington Post, July 5).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.