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Russian missile deployment plans "disappointing," US says
Nov 5, 2008, 17:59 GMT
Washington - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's announcement Wednesday of plans to deploy missiles in its Baltic Sea enclave to counter the US basing of a missile-defence system in Eastern Europe is 'disappointing,' the US State Department said.
'The steps that the Russian government announced today are disappointing,' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
McCormack repeated US assertions that the 10 interceptor missiles planned for deployment to Poland and the radar system to the Czech Republic does not threaten Moscow's vast strategic nuclear arsenal. The shield is designed to protect against Iran's growing ballistic missile capability, he said.
'This is not directed at (Russia),' McCormack said. 'Hopefully one day they'll realize that.'
In a speech Wednesday, Medvedev blasted what he termed US aggression in the world through the enlargement of NATO and the missile-defence system, and accused Washington of stoking the August conflict in Georgia.
US-Russian relations began the slide to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War after the United States announced plans to deploy the missile-defence system in 2006.
Moscow views the plans as a threat to its nuclear fleet and has promised to target the sites in the two Eastern European countries. Medvedev said Moscow will place an unspecified number of short-range Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad, which borders Poland and Lithuania.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
I agree this is stupid, but for a totally different reason. Who ever came up with the concept of 'jesus-missle' is about as dense as the missile itself. The interceptors that they are putting there are the modern day equivalent of throwing a rock. They have no warhead... just a tungsten tip to intercept ballistics with simple kinetic energy. and on top of that there's only going to be a hand full of them anyway. The Russians are moving OFFENSIVE, NUCLEAR, short range missiles to the boarder. On top of their already way to large arsenal I don't see how the Russians can really be such big cry babies about all of this. So before you start calling people naive know what you're talking about.
Hats off to Mother Russia. She's simply telling the good old Excited States of America to get back into its own house where it rightfully belongs and to discontinue trying to conquer the world in the name of who knows what.
page: 1
lanceNov 5th, 2008 - 18:06:18
This whole issue is so stupid it is pathetic.
If the U.S. does not like it then they can un-deploy U.S. weapons in the area. Until then Russia has every right to deploy weapons.
The U.S. wants to point a jesus-missile at everyone and force everyone to obey and the U.S. expects everyone else to cower like babies. That is hardly a meaningful attitude and is pathetically naive. Imagine grown up men (and women - Connie) behaving in such an ignorant way.
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