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Global Security Newswire
December 5, 2011

The U.S. ambassador to NATO on Friday said the Obama administration initiative to establish a missile defense system across Europe would go forward “whether Russia likes it or not,” Reuters reported.

The U.S. plan calls for deploying a web of missile interceptors and associated technology in nations such as Poland, Romania and Turkey. The plan would provide the backbone of a planned NATO missile shield, and the Western alliance has spent the last year trying to persuade Russia to join the effort.

Moscow, though, says the NATO system might be aimed at countering Russia’s nuclear forces. It has threatened to deploy short-range missiles in its Baltic enclave and to withdraw from the New START nuclear arms control treaty if an agreement on missile defense cannot be reached with Washington and NATO.

However, U.S. Ambassador Ivo Daalder informed journalists the Kremlin’s problems with the planned missile shield “won’t be the driving force in what we do.”

Since the Obama administration announced its “phased adaptive approach” for European missile defense in fall 2009 — a scaled-back approach to an earlier Bush administration plan — U.S. calculations of the danger of a ballistic missile strike from Iran have only increased, Daalder said.

“It’s accelerating and becoming more severe than even we thought two years ago,” Daalder said of the Iranian missile threat. …

Read on: www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20111205_9867.php

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Russia Today

Missile defense: no border breaking

The military measures outlined by President Dmitry Medvedev in response to America’s controversial missile defense system in Europe will be taken within Russia’s borders, according to senior Russian MP Konstantin Kosachev.

­“All the announced measures are being and will be taken by the Russian Federation within its national borders,” he said, adding that it is Russia’s sovereign right. “Unlike the USA and its NATO allies, we are not going beyond these bounds,” Kosachev, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs, told a media conference.

The foreign policy architect added that the actions listed by Medvedev, including Russia’s possible withdrawal from the New START treaty, do not violate the country’s international obligations. He pointed out that the document provides for such a withdrawal and the president had “only reminded about this possibility” and noted that Russia may use it under certain circumstances.

According to Kosachev, the president’s statement amounts to a coercive measure. However, he emphasized that to the last, Moscow had tried to avoid a situation where such measures were necessary. Russia urged its American partners to find a compromise on missile defense “when we still had an opportunity to come to an agreement in the sphere of strategic stability.” The Russian side had put forward quite a few options, but Washington declined them all. …

Read on: http://rt.com/politics/kosachev-missile-defense-us-137/

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Reuters
By Steve Gutterman
November 9, 2011

Russia on Wednesday vehemently criticized a U.N. nuclear watchdog report saying Iran appeared to have worked on designing an atom bomb, saying it contained no new evidence and was being used to undercut efforts to reach a diplomatic solution.

Sharpening opposition to any new sanctions against Iran in the U.N. Security Council, where Russia has veto power, senior diplomats said further punitive measures would be “destructive” and urged a revival of talks between Tehran and global powers.

The Russian remarks came during a visit by a senior Iranian official for talks on the program which Tehran says is peaceful but the United States and its allies fear is aimed at developing the capability to build atomic weapons.

They underscored a divide between Russia and the West over a report by the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency that deepened U.S. and European suspicions about Tehran’s intentions.

“According to our initial evaluations, there is no fundamentally new information in the report,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“We are talking about a compilation of known facts, given a politicized tone,” it said, adding that interpretations of the report brought to mind the use of faulty intelligence to seek support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. …

Analysts say Moscow may have calculated that it has little to gain from supporting new sanctions against Iran. This would further hurt ties already damaged by Russia’s backing of the most recent measures in June 2010, when President Dmitry Medvedev also scrapped a deal to deliver air-defense missiles to Tehran.

Those sanctions were adopted at a time of improving relations between Russia and the United States, after President Barack Obama downsized a European missile defense plan that Russia opposed and signed a nuclear arms limitation treaty with Medvedev.

Read in full: www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/09/us-nuclear-iran-russia-idUSTRE7A857620111109

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RIA Novost
September 1, 2011

The United States continues to refuse to guarantee that the European missile defense shield will not be directed at Russia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

“They don’t want to give us a guarantee that the U.S.-NATO [European] missile defense shield will not be directed at Russia,” Lavrov [Russian Foreighn Minister] said during an address to students and professors at the Moscow State University for International Relations.

Lavrov said that in July 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed on joint efforts in establishing an anti-missile defense system by first starting with a general analysis of challenges and threats.

“We added concrete proposals to the parameters for such a system and there were long consultations through bilateral talks and within the Russia-NATO Council. Unfortunately, we have not come to an agreement; however, a European missile defense shield is currently being created according to the parameters that Washington has defined and could create a threat to Russia’s strategic nuclear forces,” Lavrov said.

“Military experts understand completely that the unlimited expansion by one party’s anti-missile defense capabilities requires the other party to take equal actions in order to protect its strategic restraint potential,” he added. …

Read on: http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20110901/166347758.html

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RT.com
August 10, 2011

The head of Russia’s air force says the country will launch a new flying radar system by 2016.

The plane will counter the activities of the US’s Airborne Early Warning and Control System.

Flying radar is used for collecting radio-electronic intelligence. The new Russian radio-location antenna has already been developed.

Two of the world’s most powerful cargo planes, the ANT-24 and the IL-76, may be used as carriers for the system.

Meanwhile, Russia has confirmed the creation of the world’s most advanced solid-fuel sea-based nuclear missile with payload capabilities surpassing all others developed by members of the “nuclear club”.

By distance/payload ratio, the new missile exceeds any analogues designed in the US, UK, France or China.

http://rt.com/news/prime-time/russia-launch-airborne-system/

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Russian Information Agency Novosti
June 7, 2011

The U.S. Navy cruiser Monterey anchored in the Romanian southeastern Passenger Berth of the Port of Constanta on the Black Sea within the NATO European missile shield project, Romania news agency Actmedia said on Tuesday.

“The cruiser’s visit to the Port of Constanta is part of the permanent efforts of the U.S. Navy in strengthening the partnership with the Romanian Navy and of increasing interoperability in the Black Sea area,” the U.S. Embassy to Romania was quoted as saying by the agency.

The Monterey is holding its first appearance within the project. It is equipped with the AEGIS air defense system and missiles.

“Moreover, the USS Monterey cruiser is equipped with the AEGIS air defense system that represents the first stage of the adaptive phase approach of the anti-missile shield, an important element to Romania, which agreed to host interceptors within the second phase of the program.” ..

Russia and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called European missile shield during the NATO-Russia Council summit in Lisbon in November 2010. NATO insists there should be two independent systems that exchange information, while Russia favors a joint system.

Russia is opposed to the planned deployment of U.S. missile defense systems near its borders, claiming they would be a security threat. The U.S. is reluctant to provide legally binding guarantees that the system will not be directed against Russia.

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20110607/164491853.html

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TIME
By Julie Pace (AP)
May 26, 2011

President Barack Obama said Thursday the U.S. and Russia are committed to finding an approach that meets the security needs of both countries on the contentious issue of American plans to build a missile defense shield in Central and Eastern Europe.

The United States says its missile defense plans are aimed at countering emerging threats from countries including Iran and North Korea, but Russia views the moves as possible encroachment.

For his part Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the future of missile defense would be solved by future politicians — perhaps in the year 2020 — but that he and Obama can help lay the foundation now.

Meeting on the sidelines of an economic summit in France, the leaders agreed missile defense is a sensitive issue and suggested it remains so in their relationship. While they agreed to work on it, they showed no signs of reaching an understanding. …

Medvedev has warned that failure to cooperate with Moscow on the shield could spark a new arms race. …

Read more: www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2074109,00.html

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RT
May 16, 2011

Further deployment of the US missile defense system in Europe gives Russia the right to withdraw from the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said.

“START may become a hostage of the so-called US European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA),” Ryabkov said at Monday’s meeting of the Expert Council on cooperation between Russia and NATO at the State Duma.

The official noted that Moscow has repeatedly warned its partners that if the scale of the US missile defense system creates a threat to Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, Russia has the right to withdraw from the agreement. That would be considered “an exceptional circumstance” mentioned in Article 14 of the New START.

He added that Russia will have to take responsive measures if the US and NATO develop their missile defense shield without taking Moscow’s opinion into account.

“In this situation, we will have to take the necessary measures to restore the disrupted balance of power,” Ryabkov said, cites Interfax.

The official also observed that Moscow is disappointed over Washington’s denial to give legal guarantees that the US missile defense system will not be targeted against Russia.

“We are disappointed with the reaction of Washington; this is a negative reaction,” he said.

The historic agreement – the New START – was signed by Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev on April 8, 2010, in Prague. …

http://rt.com/politics/nato-missile-defense-medvedev/

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Daily Reporter
By Vladimir Isachenkov (Associated Press)
May 16, 2011

Russia wants the United States to provide Moscow with guarantees that a prospective U.S.-led missile shield wouldn’t threaten its security, a senior Russia official said Monday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned that Washington’s refusal to provide such guarantees could derail efforts by Russia and NATO to cooperate on missile defense.

“We can’t base our security on assurances and promises, we need a legally-binding agreement,” Ryabkov told lawmakers during parliamentary hearings.

He said that Moscow was disappointed by a negative U.S. reaction to its demand.

Russia considers the U.S.-led missile defense plans as a potential threat to its security. It has agreed to consider NATO’s proposal last fall to cooperate on the missile shield, but insisted that the system should be run jointly. NATO has rejected that demand.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that a failure to reach a deal on the issue could force Russia to deploy new offensive weapons, triggering a new arms race.

A landmark arms control treaty called New START has helped improve relations between Moscow and Washington, but Russia has continued to view U.S. missile defense plans with suspicion. …

www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/2b6b28fce36d4ec2983be37cf1ff19d6/EU–Russia-US-Missile-Defense/

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Global Security Newswire
May 4, 2011

Russia on Tuesday said its strategic security would be undercut by a plan for Romania to host U.S. missile interceptors, the New York Times reported (see GSN, May 3). …

U.S. government sources dismissed Moscow’s grievances, noting a call by Washington and NATO for Russia to contribute to a collaborative antimissile framework for the European continent, the Times reported. The Obama administration has said that its effort is aimed at protecting Europe from missiles fired from the Middle East, in particular Iran.

“Missile defense cooperation with Russia is a key U.S. goal,” a Defense Department insider said.

“We believe cooperation on missile defense is in the security interest of both our countries,” the source said. “We are actively seeking cooperation with Russia in bilateral channels and through NATO. Cooperation is the best way to provide Russia transparency and reassurances that missile defense is not a threat to its security” (Shanker/Barry, New York Times). …

Meanwhile, discussions between Washington and Moscow on potential antimissile collaboration were not proceeding smoothly, Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said. The sides were expected to hold the discussions from Monday through Thursday this week in Belgium, according to a previous report.

“The current phase are consultations between military officials,” and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov is expected to meet on Thursday with U.S. Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher, Rogozin noted.

“On the whole, I can say that the main problem remains unsolved. It is the problem of sane, coherent and verifiable guarantees that the American system of missile defense that would be deployed in Europe would not target the Russian strategic potential,” the official said.

Moscow was open to certain U.S. suggestions, including the potential establishment of a joint missile threat early warning scheme, Rogozin said.

“But if the firepower of the U.S. missile defense is located near a zone where some of our strategic nuclear forces are deployed, if the area to be covered by the American missile defense pushes deep into the territory of the Russian Federation, we won’t be able to come to an agreement,” the official said. …

www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20110504_4176.php

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