Putin warns he will point missiles at Europe
Sun Jun 3, 2007 5:17PM EDT
By Oleg Shchedrov
MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said Russia would go back to its Cold War stance of aiming its missiles at Europe if Washington went ahead with a plan to build a missile defence shield near Russia's borders.
In an interview released late on Sunday, Putin acknowledged that Russia's response risked reviving an arms race in Europe but said Moscow would not be responsible for the consequences because Washington had started the escalation.
Putin made the tough statement before what is likely to be a frosty Group of Eight summit in Germany on June 6 where, among other world leaders, he will come face to face with U.S. President George W. Bush.
Russia has not specifically targeted its missiles at Europe since the end of the Cold War but, asked if it might return to that if the U.S. missile shield plan went ahead, Putin said: "Of course we are returning to those times.
"It is clear that if a part of the U.S. nuclear capability turns up in Europe, and, in the opinion of our military specialists, will threaten us, then we are forced to take corresponding steps in response."
"What will those steps be? Naturally, we will have to have new targets in Europe."
Russia's combative response to the U.S. missile shield has prompted comparisons with the Cold War. Putin has directed angry rhetoric at the White House, last week calling U.S. policy "imperialist".
Russia has test-launched a new ballistic missile in a move it tied to the U.S. missile plans, and suspended its compliance with a treaty limiting the deployment of conventional forces near Russia's western borders.
POLITICAL GESTURE
Putin's warning that missiles might once again be pointed at European targets carries a clear political message but has few practical implications.
Even after the Cold War ended, Russia retained the capability to hit European and U.S. targets. Training ballistic missiles on a particular target is a fairly simple technical task that can be done in a matter of minutes.
Putin's comments came in an interview Putin gave to selected media from G8 countries on Friday. The Kremlin released a transcript of the interview on its Internet site www.kremlin.ru at 2100 GMT on Sunday.
Russia's response to the U.S. missile moves would be to develop "more effective offensive systems", Putin said in the interview.
"We know that that risks restarting an arms race, for which we will not be responsible. It was not us who started altering the strategic balance."
Putin added: "Today we warn: if a new missile defence system is deployed in Europe there will be a response," he added. "We are forced to ensure our security."
Washington wants to locate elements of its planned shield -- including a radar station and interceptor missiles -- in Poland and the Czech Republic.
It says the shield is not a threat to Russia but is designed to protect against possible missile attacks from what it calls "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea.
Putin said that was not credible. "There are no Iranian missiles with the necessary range," he said. "So it becomes obvious that this innovation is about us Russians."
Putin reiterated that a military escalation was not Russia's choice. "We are not in favor of confrontation," he said. "We are in favor of a dialogue.
"We want to be heard, we want our position to be understood," he said. "We do not rule out that our U.S. partners could review their decision (to build the missile shield)."
"But if that does not happen, we lift from ourselves any responsibility for the steps we take in response because we are not the ones who are initiating the looming arms race in Europe."
Updated: 10:05, Monday June 04, 2007
President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will aim missiles at Europe if the US goes ahead with its planned defence system.
He has threatened to return his country to its Cold War stance and has talked about the possibility - accidental or deliberate - of a nuclear war.
His comments come just before this week's G8 meeting of world leaders in Germany.
The US wants to place interceptor rockets on standby in Poland and set up a radar base in the Czech Republic.
"If a new missile defence system will be deployed in Europe, then we need to warn you today that we will come with a response," Mr Putin told The Times.
"We have to ensure our security and we are not the initiator of this process."
Mr Putin warned that the US deployment raised the propsect of accidental, or deliberate, nuclear war in Europe.
"We understand that the system of missile defence on the one side, and the absence of such a system on the other creates the illusion of being protected, and increases the possibility of unleashing a nuclear conflict," the Russian leader said.
Washington says it needs a missile shield to protect against an attack from the likes of North Korea and Iran.
But Mr Putin said Iran, which is striving to achieve nuclear status, did not have weapons that could threaten the US.
"There are no such missiles - Iran does not have missiles with the range," the President said.
Iran's top security official Ali Larijani said Washington's plans are "the joke of the year," adding: "The range of Iran's missiles doesn't reach Europe at all."
Mr Putin and US President George Bush will come face to face at the G8 summit in Germany this week in what is likely to be a frosty encounter.
We dont need new nukes in UK and no American weapons system, and down with Russia. I can see why the ex-soviet nation is feeling intimidated. Carnt they're nukes hit America instead why Europe, thats cowardly.
We dont need new nukes in UK and no American weapons system, and down with Russia. I can see why the ex-soviet nation is feeling intimidated. Carnt they're nukes hit America instead why Europe, thats cowardly.
Can we refrain from saying that we would like to see certain countries nuked in this section please? There are notices in this section about the prohibition on calls to violence etc you see.
Can we refrain from saying that we would like to see certain countries nuked in this section please? There are notices in this section about the prohibition on calls to violence etc you see.
OK my bad Bro, but we know the hostilities that remain between America and Russia to this day
Their whole threat towards Europe is to hurt America.
We need nukes in the UK for cases like this. If Russia sets in nukes on us then we are able to retaliate and set our nuclear missiles on them. Their problem is with the US so um... why threaten Europe?
He'll pay for it if he does go ahead with his threats. Russia v Europe/US? Dream on...
I tend to doubt that either the US or Russia have ever stopped pointing Nukes at each other.
After Nearly 50 years of both holding the threat of immediate world annihilation over each other, it does not seem likely either ever fully gave into fully trusting the other. To me this more like something that has been there and the rest of the world has finaly realised it so it came out of the closet.
All during the cold war it was fairly well known that any confrontation between the USA and Russia would most likely take place in either Europe or the Mideast and both countries rather than risk destroying both countries.
the conversions will probably sound like this:
USA "You mess with us we will nuke Iran"
Russia "Just try it and we will nuke the UK and France"
US "You do that and we will also nuke Pakistan, India and Lebanon"
Russia "Oh Yea, and then we will wipe out Germany, Switzerland and Italy"
China (thinking to themselves) "With a little patience, we just need to wait and the World is ours."
China (thinking to themselves) "With a little patience, we just need to wait and the World is ours."
Oh that gave me a fit for a whole minute
(IMO) Sad to say that the whole end of world prophecies doesn't revolve around US
Allahu' Alim
But it's just food for thought
Perhaps something big will happen between Russia and US of A and since Dajjal will come from east... we can assume from (any asian country) ... Bah just me and my theories.... (though that is not to say I store hatred in my heart against Russians or Americans or Chinese or any other nation for that matter)
It's amazing how fast the U.S/Russian relationship has declined in the past 4 years. Woodrow was right that the two countries have never "unaimed" their missiles at each other, and I don't think we will be seeing any mutual disarmament treaties in the near future. I heard a report that the U.S. and China have now installed an emergency phone line in the case of any misunderstandings. Hopefully the U.S. and Russia still have that "red line" too.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
I think alot of the problem has to do with the leaders of both countries. You have Bush, who I wont even bother commenting on since it is done ever so frequently in this section, and then there is Putin, who in my opinion is just as bad if not worse. Putin was also very loyal to the soviet military back in his younger days and to be honest, I would imagine he still holds a grudge against the US. The mixture of these personalities and policies is a recipe for disaster, not just for these two countries but for the entire world.
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
I think alot of the problem has to do with the leaders of both countries. You have Bush, who I wont even bother commenting on since it is done ever so frequently in this section, and then there is Putin, who in my opinion is just as bad if not worse. Putin was also very loyal to the soviet military back in his younger days and to be honest, I would imagine he still holds a grudge against the US. The mixture of these personalities and policies is a recipe for disaster, not just for these two countries but for the entire world.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Danged nukes with crazy people holding the triggers...
format_quote Originally Posted by Muzammil
If some one says "Im the King" immediately the other opposes him and says "No Im the King"...... and will continue....................................
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