Putin will soon have the chance to outline his ideas for a Pan European missile shield first floated last year.
Putin will soon have the chance to outline his ideas for a Pan European missile shield first floated last year. |
The proposals most of all provide for "the realistic and objective evaluation by all interested countries of the presence or absence of nuclear threats," Ivashov said. "If they do exist or are likely to develop, a set of political and diplomatic steps need to be planned to neutralize these threats."
If such a threat cannot be dealt with peacefully, "the modeling of an inexpensive European non-strategic missile defense system can be started. A mobile anti-missile rapid deployment force capable of positioning in various regions could be part of that system," Ivashov said.
The essence of the U.S. plans is deploying part of a strategic missile defense system on the European continent to shield European countries, Ivashov continued. "This is a costly undertaking. If the Europeans are involved, the Americans will have all the resources used to provide security for financing that program," he said.
If such a system is in fact deployed in Europe, Russia will regard this as "a first echelon for intercepting Russian strategic missiles. To put it differently, the Americans will have Europe shielding the United States and protecting its own national interests," Ivashov said.
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