MOSCOW: Russia signalled yesterday that a change in US plans for a European anti-missile shield could help the two sides make progress towards resolving a dispute that has severely strained ties between them.
Last Friday, the United States announced plans to deploy 14 new anti-missile interceptors in Alaska after North Korea threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike, and said it would forgo development of a new interceptor that would have been deployed in central Europe.
Cold War-era foes Moscow and Washington have long been at loggerheads over the shield in Europe, and President Barack Obama’s move in 2009 to scale down earlier, Bush-administration plans only offered a short-lived respite. Russia’s main concern is that the European shield would weaken its nuclear deterrent.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry point man for US relations said yesterday the planned changes brought a new element to the issue and called for further dialogue although they did not dispel Moscow’s concerns that US missile defences could threaten its security.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov’s remarks were more upbeat than Russia’s initial, critical reaction to US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel’s announcement of changes in US global missile defence plans on Friday.
“There is no unequivocal answer yet to the question of what consequences all this can have for our security,” Ryabkov told reporters. “The causes for concern have not been removed, but dialogue is needed — it is in our interest and we welcome the fact that the American side also, it appears, wants to continue this dialogue,” he said.
REUTERS
