 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Russia's missile plan dents trust in Kremlin: Latvian president
Riga (AFP) Nov 6, 2008 Russia's plans to deploy missiles in its Baltic Sea territory will undermine trust in the Kremlin and hit regional security, Latvia's President Valdis Zatlers warned Thursday. "Any deployment of short-range missiles in Europe and the Baltic Sea region should be seen as a certain reduction of the level of trust," Zatlers told reporters. "This does not contribute either to better understanding between nations or the level of security in Europe, but rather brings this level down," he added. However, he said Riga did not see the move as a direct military threat. On Wednesday, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev had said that Moscow would deploy missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian territory sandwiched between Poland and Latvia's neighbour Lithuania, and home to a large Russian military base. Medvedev said the move would counter a US anti-missile system due to be based in Poland and the Czech Republic by 2013-2014. Washington insists its system is meant to ward off emerging missile threats from what it calls "rogue states," specifically Iran, but Russia sees it as a menace to its own security. "It is hard to judge Russia's intentions at this time," Zatlers' foreign policy aide Andris Pelss told AFP. The United States has called the Kremlin's move "disappointing," while NATO has expressed serious worries. Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania have also criticised the announcement, although Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he saw it as a political ploy rather than a military move. Along with Latvia, the three countries used to be under Moscow's control but are now solid US allies, having joined NATO, as well as the European Union, after the fall of the communist bloc. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Russian leader blasts US, vows to deploy missiles near EU
Moscow (AFP) Nov 6, 2008Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has announced plans to deploy missiles on the EU's doorstep in a warning shot to US president-elect Barack Obama and Washington's allies in central Europe. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook