The guided missile cruiser USS Lake
Champlain
A top Russian official says a US
missile defense system near Russia’s
border is strategically destabilizing and may prompt an arms race.
Speaking to SW on the threat of mobile naval-based elements of
the US missile
defense system “suddenly appearing” on Russia’s
coastline, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said such an event would
trigger “the harshest reaction from Russia."
"We must consider the effective protection of our
strategic nuclear forces," Rogozin said in an interview with the
magazine Voyenny Parade (‘Military Parade’).
Rogozin, while not elaborating on what Russia’s
response would be, noted that Russia
is taking definite steps to counter American ships “equipped with the Aegis
integrated naval weapons system.”
Russia
has warned its US
and NATO partners on numerous occasions that unless the two sides can reach an
acceptable agreement over NATO plans to unilaterally build a missile defense
shield in Eastern Europe, another arms race is
inevitable.
Ironically, it was US
President Barack Obama – the same American leader who pushed for a “reset” with
Moscow – who introduced the current
missile defense plans that may include stationing Aegis missiles aboard US
warships in the Black Sea.
Washington
says the missile defense system, which is capable of intercepting short- to
intermediate-range ballistic missiles, is vital for protecting Eastern
Europe from “rogue states,” like Iran
and North Korea.
At the same time, however, the western military alliance ignores Moscow’s
concern the strategic balance may be upset. In fact, NATO even refuses to
provide Moscow with written, legal
guarantees that the system will not in the future target Russian territory.
Judging by Rogozin’s strong words, it seems that another
arms race has already begun.
"U.S. missile defense in its current form is
obviously destabilizing and prompting an arms race between Russia and the U.S.
and NATO," Rogozin noted.
Russia
is considering ways of “suppressing and penetrating” the missile
defense system in ways that will guarantee “unacceptable damage to any
aggressor, and force it to resist the temptation to test Russia's
strength,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
Rogozin, who served in a previous capacity as Russia’s
NATO envoy, explained his use of blunt language.
"We must be frank about this. I was the Russian
envoy to NATO for four years and I know what language they understand best of
all," he said.
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