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U.S. puzzled by Russia's missile shield concerns

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An American diplomat said Tuesday his country was puzzled by Russia's anxiety about the deployment of U.S. missile defenses in central Europe while a senior Russian military official reiterated national security concerns.
KIEV/MOSCOW, February 20 (RIA Novosti) - An American diplomat said Tuesday his country was puzzled by Russia's anxiety about the deployment of U.S. missile defenses in central Europe while a senior Russian military official reiterated national security concerns.

The United States has announced plans to build a radar installation in the Czech Republic and a missile base in Poland in the next five years. The cost of the five-year project, which envisions a further addition of sea-based missile defense and satellite surveillance support elements, is estimated at $1.6 billion.

U.S. insists that the European missile shield is meant to counter possible attacks from Iran or North Korea but Russia says the deployment of missile bases close to its borders could only mean it is the real target.

Speaking at a news conference in the capital of Ukraine, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor downplayed Moscow's concerns and said Russia itself should be worried about the missile threat from rogue states.

But the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Yury Baluyevsky, said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily that the U.S unilateral actions could damage the balance of power in Europe and undermine the Russian nuclear deterrence potential.

"Knowing the potential technical characteristics of fire support and weapons systems, we can affirm that despite numerous assurances that these systems are not targeted at Russia, they could still affect our deterrence potential under certain circumstances," the general said.

Baluyevsky reiterated that Russia is strictly adhering to its nuclear disarmament obligations while the U.S. is driving to base missile shield elements in Europe, which coincides with NATO expansion closer to Russian borders.

"These actions cannot but raise suspicions about the real purpose of the U.S. missile defense plans and their possible consequences for Russia and Europe," the military official said.

He explained that even the interception of ballistic missiles close to Russian borders or over Russian territory could pose a threat to the country.

"These situations are highly probable because it is almost impossible to completely destroy a ballistic missile carrying a weapon of mass destruction or a nuclear warhead without contaminating the atmosphere or the surface," Baluyevsky said.

He also expressed harsh criticism against the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic which reaffirmed Monday their readiness to allow the U.S. to base parts of its missile shield on their territories.

"While the Czechs and Poles are not worried about the missile debris falling on their territory for the sake of the security of their "distant ally," Russian citizens are raising a legitimate question: why should we become hostages of circumstance?" Baluyevsky said, adding that all the sides involved in the U.S. plans should carefully assess the possible consequences before making any decisions.

"That is why Russia is taking and will maintain a firm stand opposing the deployment of a U.S missile shield in Europe," he said.

The Russian military chief earlier said that in response to the U.S. missile deployment plans Moscow might unilaterally abandon the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) which eliminated nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (300 to 3,400 miles).

Following this warning to the U.S., Commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) Nikolai Solovtsov said Monday that the SMF will be able to track down elements of the U.S. missile defense system if deployed in central Europe.

"If the governments of Poland and the Czech Republic make such a decision, the Strategic Missile Forces will be able to target these systems," he said.

He also said Russia possessed the technology and the capability to resume production of intermediate- and short-range missiles in the near future.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Taylor dismissed Moscow's allegations that the U.S. is planning to conduct talks with Ukraine on the placement of its missile shield elements in the former Soviet republic.

The diplomat said a U.S. delegation is scheduled to visit Ukraine in the next three weeks to discuss Ukraine's accession to NATO and the bilateral military cooperation under existing military assistance programs.

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