Europe

Europe

Moscow demands guarantee on U.S. missile shield in Poland

17 September 2011 18:35 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Russia’s Foreign Ministry expressed its concern Saturday about the planned deployment of U.S. missiles in Poland, demanding legal guarantees the U.S.-led European missile defense shield did not target Russia, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"The logic of the developments again highlights the importance of obtaining guarantees from the U.S. and NATO that the missile defense facilities being deployed in Europe are not targeted at Russia’s strategic nuclear forces," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also urged negotiations within the framework of the Russia-NATO Council on the missile defense system.

Poland will install elements of a U.S. missile defense system by 2018. The system’s installation was sealed by a 2008 Polish-U.S. agreement which comes into force on Thursday.

Moscow has long opposed the deployment of NATO missile defense facilities near its borders, saying they would be a security threat to the country and upset the strategic balance of force in Europe.

While the United States says the missile system is not directed at Russia, it has yet to put that guarantee in writing.