Russian General Calls Planned US Anti-Missile Radar a 'Threat

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian General Calls Planned US Anti-Missile Radar a 'Threat'

A Russian general says placing elements of a U.S. anti-missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic would be a "clear threat" to Moscow.

Lieutenant General Vladimir Popovkin, the chief of Russia's Space Forces, disputed the U.S. contention that the system's sole aim was to defend Europe against intercontinental missiles fired by hostile states outside the region.

Poland and the Czech Republic have agreed to start detailed discussions with Washington on hosting anti-missile defenses.

Russian officials have repeatedly opposed the project, calling it a veiled attempt to change the strategic balance between Russia and the West.

Both Poland and the Czech Republic are former communist Warsaw Pact countries that are now NATO members.

[Ryan Ruck]

U.S. Radar Base Request Stirs Russian Warning

The United States has asked the Czech Republic to host a radar base that would be part of a global missile defense system, the prime minister announced Saturday, drawing a warning from Russia of retaliatory actions.

U.S. officials contend the system could defend Europe against intercontinental missiles fired by states such as Iran and North Korea. But the Kremlin warned that the military balance in Europe could be at stake and said the development risked a new arms race.

Independent defense experts have said the ground-based missile defense system is still years from being able to protect against long-range missile attacks.

The United States declined comment on Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's statement. But the United States has been negotiating with Poland and the Czech Republic, both former communist states now in NATO, as it explores setting up missile defense sites in Eastern Europe.

The U.S. has missile interceptor bases in Alaska and California. It activated a powerful X-band radar site in northern Japan as part of the system last September, but so far has no anti-missile weapons based outside U.S. territory.